Oh, Yeah: Her
by Miss Starfire
Summary: Tony and Pepper are finally dating. Team Iron Man is on top of the world. Graduation is a couple of months away. And she is finally old enough to be on her own. What could possibly go wrong in Pepper's life? Oh, yeah: HER.
1. Prologue

**Summary:** Tony and Pepper are finally dating. Team Iron Man is on top of the world. Graduation is a couple of months away. And she is finally old enough to be on her own. What could possibly go wrong in Pepper's life? Oh, yeah: HER.

 _Timeframe for this story: post Makluan invasion._

 **Standard disclaimer for all my stories:** My stories are graphic, angsty, frustrating, filled with cliffhangers, drama and foul language. Read at your own risk – medical issues and subsequent bills are not covered by yours truly ;) If you don't like, please don't read. I appreciate reviews and constructive feedback but if you cannot stand the plot, save yourself and me some time and walk away. You don't have to love all IMAA stories :) I don't own IMAA. My stories are better viewed by using the "half screen" option of FFNET

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 **Oh, Yeah: Her**

 **Prologue**

She was not sure what to do with her hands in these situations, so she opted to simply doing again what she had done in the past: placing them behind herself, trapped between her back and the wall she was being pressed against. It was not as if anyone had just handed her a manual for what to do when your boyfriend was making out with you, so she doubted that her lack of knowledge regarding what the expected protocol was for her hands to follow when kissing her boy genius was of any high concern.

Besides, even if she _had_ read a damn manual that spelled out how to behave at the moment, she knew that the instant his lips had touched hers, she would have forgotten every single word ever read.

Who could blame her for it, though, when Tony Stark had her like this?

His left forearm leaned against the wall she was resting on. His right hand held her by the waist. His upper body and head were titled at a weird angle so that he could bend down enough to make the kiss work. And his _"Oh, sweet Lord, have mercy!"_ lips were tenderly massaging hers, exploring them as carefully as she had seen him analyze the blueprints of his many inventions.

And to think they had begun kissing just a month ago! He was not called a genius for no reason, it would seem!

Why had it taken three long months of dating to start doing this at all? The amount of off periods they had already forgone making out was enough for her to consider herself to be clinically insane!

Then again, she knew that part of the reason why they had just started sneaking out of the public view whenever they could to engage in lip push-ups was because their friendship had been rather strong – and because all this was new to them. It was not as if their friendship had decayed or anything – it had simply made it difficult for them to alter their mindsets to what they now were: friends who really liked each other, who had then recently started dating, and were just now getting comfortable with physical displays of affection that went beyond a hug or holding of hands.

Nothing more. Nothing less. Just that.

Steep learning curve. Experiential knowledge. Trial and error. Yeah, it was all that.

She still remembered the first time they had kissed, just thirty days ago. It had been a quick peck on the lips, initiated by him, rushed by the bell on his way to class. The next time, she had returned the favor on her way to the bus, leaving him with a departing gift that had kept him in Cloud 9 for the rest of the day. Their third kiss had been mutually instigated, and had been a little longer; taking place in the lab after a mission had kept them up later than usual.

The fourth kiss had happened in school again, but it had been during lunch. It had been longer than their third, but it had been shorter than their fifth since, after Rhodey's yelp of surprise (and who had not expected to walk up to the roof to find the couple kissing there) had startled them enough to stop. Then, as if mentally agreeing on the next step, their almost-daily make out sessions during their shared off period had begun.

They did not even go out to the rooftop for them, opting to staying at the top of the staircase that preceded the door to the roof; a decision that had been made to avoid some paparazzi catching them in the act. Ever since Pepper had turned eighteen, the hero couple had been in the midst of some awkward acts of invasion of privacy. It did not matter that they were still in high school – they were now legal adults. And as such, it was the constitutionally-granted liberty of the free press to stalk them from time to time.

Sometimes, even going out to the movies together turned into a mission itself.

But up here, in the small room that led to the roof, they were safe from prying eyes or hidden cameras. It was common knowledge among the student body that the twosome liked to spend their free period on the roof – even before they had become a couple. As such, the silver lining of being a senior in high school, who also happened to own a suit of high-tech ammunition, was that no one bothered you when you were too engrossed in debating when you would have enough balls to attempt French-kissing your girlfriend.

Today did not appear to be the lucky day for that… but it did feel like a lucky day for him to guide her left hand to rest on his right shoulder.

Pepper smirked when his kissing became just a tad more forceful once she slid her left hand closer to his neck to rest her palm there.

Success! She now knew what to do with her damn left hand!

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 **A/N:** Should I be adding yet another story for me to update? Probably not. Am I gonna anyway? Probably so. Unless, of course, no one wants me to… ;)


	2. Chapter 1

**Guest Review Responses**

 **apps: Interesting plot...you should proceed with story...wanna see more developments** – YAY! How you doing, apps? Here's another fluffy chapter. Hope you enjoy it, too!

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"So then, in theory, the gravitational pull of the two colliding galaxies causes…"

She had no idea in what language Tony was speaking to her right now, but it certainly was not English. Actually, that was a lie. She _did_ know what language it was, but knowing, in this case, was not really half the battle: it was _Nerd_. He was speaking Nerd. Nerd tongue. Nerd language. Nerd code. Whatever it was called, it was one dialect that she was not fluent in at all – a weakness of hers that hit a sore spot.

"Dr. Reed Richards thinks that this theory proves…"

 _That I can sleep with my eyes open_ , the redhead wanted to say, but she held back her tongue. Her boyfriend was way too enthralled in whatever he was conveying to her – so much so that he had not realized that she, Pepper _Chatterbox_ Potts, had not said a word the entire time they had been hanging out here on the roof during their free period as of now. They still had half of the period to go, but Tony showed no signs of slowing down his enthusiastic recap of the voluntary attendance astrophysics conference the Tomorrow Academy had hosted this morning during science class. _She_ had obviously stayed behind, preferring to _try_ to follow Professor Klein's lecture in class. But Tony Stark had been the first one out the door when his science hero had been exposed to be the keynote speaker of it.

"I mean, the implications of it are beyond what we know today, Pep. Can you imagine if we could harness that type of energy? If we could replicate the process in a particle accelerator, we could…"

 _Die of boredom_ , her mind replied for her, but she just continued to nod and smile. Normally, it was her who talked and talked and talked about stuff she knew Tony had no interested in listening to. It was only fair, in this amazing and cherished relationship of theirs, that she did the same for him, for once.

Besides, it was not _all_ bad listening to Tony Stark babbling about black holes, colliding galaxies, and whatever other words that related to outer space and the universe in general that he kept using, as if she knew what they meant. Even in his high-on-science moment, he was still being admirably attentive to her; if not with his words, with his posture and hand.

His head was resting on her lap while she sat on the ground, her legs bent towards the side so that he had a comfortable place to use as a makeshift pillow. He was on his back, his wide and bright eyes staring at the clear skies. His left hand kept gesturing with every word spoken, but his right hand held on to hers on his stomach, softly caressing it and randomly squeezing it when he got too excited about a particular recount of the conference. All in all, it was an even tradeoff, in her eyes: he got to talk about science nonstop, and she got to feel his warm body against hers.

Her left hand, which yesterday he had given the task of massaging the back of his neck and scalp during make out sessions, had just now started to scratch the top of his head. Tony's hair naturally spiked without the need of product on it, so her fingers enjoyed the tingling sensation of his soft hair between them. Many times in the past, almost as soon as she had realized how infatuated she had become with the inventor, she had fantasized about doing just this: having Tony Stark all for herself, spending alone time with him, while combing his dark brown hair with her hands.

And today, for the first time ever, one of her deepest desires had come to life.

What should she try to attain next?

Being able to run her hands down his slick bare chest, back, and well-defined stomach while watching him work on the armor at the lab? Cuddle with him while watching _Breakdancing with Celebrities_ at her place? Shower his face with butterfly kisses between classes? Tell him to his face that not only did she really care for him, but that she loved him more than words could describe?

Oh, yeah. There was _that_. Perhaps even more important than everything else she had listed prior to it. He _still_ did not know that she was more than just head over heels for him. He was still very unaware that she actually _loved_ him very much, even if she had never ever been in love before in her entire life. It was completely unknown to him that, even if she could not follow his passionate talks about science and tech, that she still very much adored every part of him – and that she hoped that he did, as well.

Then again, he had not expressed the L-word to her either, and she surely was not going to screw it all up by saying it too early or way in advance.

Pepper inwardly sighed. So many things to do. So little time.

Her musings were interrupted by the sound of the access door to the roof suddenly opening. She raised her gaze towards it to see Rhodey cautiously walking towards them, a paper bag and a drink tray with the logo of Belly Buster Burgers under his arm. Their friend did not share a free period with them, which meant that his presence here was a sign that lunch time had finally arrived.

Had she really been listening to Tony talk about science nonsense for an hour? And she had made it through it without giving away how she felt about her inability to understand him? Who would have thought that the boy could go on and on about a simple one-hour conference, much in the same fashion he would often make fun of her for executing over the most trivial of things?

Well, it appeared that they had more in common that she had noticed thus far. That had to be a plus for them, right?

Rhodey silently sat to her left on the ground, took out a wrapped burger from the bag, and then handed it to the redhead.

"Has he been asleep all this time?"

"What?" Pepper's head recoiled, her eyes lowering to watch Tony only after Rhodey pointed towards him with his free hand.

"What the–"

He was asleep. Tony Stark was _asleep_ ; snoring and all. He was, in fact, _completely_ passed out. At some point during the conversation that she had not been following at all, he had turned to his right side, leaving his face aimed towards her stomach, and his right hand resting on her lap. His left arm was lazily snaked around her waist, as if her body was one giant head rest to him.

 _When did he…?_

Her look of confusion told Rhodey she had probably been tuning him out all this time. He could not blame her for it either – he knew how chatty Tony could become when talking about science or technology; or both at the same time. And, in addition to that, Rhodey knew how Pepper felt about Tony doing just that.

"Didn't realize he fell asleep, did ya?" Rhodey jested after taking a bite of his burger.

"No," Pepper whispered and rearranged his hair that she had displaced with her fingertips. "Didn't think he was tired at all."

"He went on a mission last night, remember?" Rhodey pointed out and she frowned.

"Oh, yeah. I can't believe he didn't tell us about it until it was done."

"It was an easy mission," Rhodey shrugged. "You know how he is. He won't bother us if he thinks he can handle things. You know he was already good at being Iron Man before we got really involved. And now, with Extremis and all…"

"Yeah, I know. Now he's even smarter and faster than before. But still," Pepper began unwrapping her burger, "I hate it when he does things like that."

Rhodey smiled knowingly at his auburn-haired friend, opting not to question the origin of her obvious wariness. Even after proving time and time again that he could take care of himself, and that Extremis had only made him stronger and more resilient than ever, Pepper still worried about the genius billionaire – it had taken her weeks not to be woken up in the middle of the night by the image of his falling form from the alien spaceship. In reality, whether he admitted it out loud or not, so did Rhodey. But he knew that whatever worries he had for the safety and wellbeing of Tony while on patrol on his own, Pepper felt them twenty times more than he did.

The redhead took another small bite of her burger, chewed it a few times, stared at her slumbering boyfriend for one second, and then her shoulders slumped. She slowly finished the bite in her mouth, wrapped the half-eaten burger, and then sighed in obvious disenchantment.

"What's up?" Rhodey stared at her from the corner of his eye. "Got the order wrong?"

"No," she shook her head. "I… It's… I mean… Nevermind."

Rhodey arched a single eyebrow, turned his head to face her, and Pepper exhaled in response.

"He was talking about science, about the conference from this morning," she said as she returned the burger to the bag, her hunger suddenly leaving her. "He was so happy about it, Rhodey. But I couldn't follow a word of what he said. I just hope he didn't fall asleep waiting for me to comment. I… I don't even know what I would've said."

Rhodey did not reply to her comment, knowing where the conversation was heading – yet again. He and Pepper had had this conversation before; several times in the past few weeks, in fact, and he was running out of things to say to convince the ginger that there was nothing wrong with not being able to be at Tony Stark's level of intelligence or of his science know-how. He had been around the genius since he could remember, and he had long ago learned that he did not need to speak the same language as Tony for his input to be of interest to the blue-eyed young man.

"Maybe I should study more," Pepper scratched the side of her head. "Or read more science books. Or, at the very least, read what he writes about the suits. I… I feel so stupid when he tells me something that he's really excited about and that I don't understand."

"It was never a problem before, Pepper. Why are you so focused on it now?"

"Because now we're going out!" she said between gritted teeth to keep her frustrated voice from waking him up. "And, you know, it's been great and all, but… but once all the _new_ stuff becomes, you know, _normal_ , and after we go to college… well… I… he could… and then I… and I'll never be able to…"

She was unable to finish her sentence with words, but her long-winded sigh said it all.

"I think you're thinking too much and worrying too much over nothing, Pepper," Rhodey stood up from the ground and patted his jeans clean of dust. "Tony's not going out with you because he expects you to be able to recite the periodic table at gunpoint."

"Yeah, I know," Pepper sighed again. "But, you know, he actually memorized the names of the contestants of _Breakdancing with Celebrities_ so that he could follow along when we watch the show."

"So?"

"So, maybe I should do the same for him? I… I'll never be able to talk quantum physics with him. But… but I should at least make the effort to learn more about what he loves so much about science. I should… I should at least try to–"

"Pepper," Rhodey leaned down and placed a hand on her left shoulder. "Tony likes you just as you are. Which is weird in and of itself, if you ask me," he said in an obvious joking tone, "But to each his own, right?"

"Right," Pepper replied, but it was obvious in her voice and her deflated stance that she was still unconvinced. "I-I guess you're right."

"Stop stressing about it. And eat your food."

"Yeah," she gave him a small smile and patted his hand on her shoulder. "I will. And thanks, Rhodey."

"No problem, Pepper."

Rhodey gave Pepper's shoulder one last comforting squeeze before turning around and leaving the roof. He had to stop by his locker to pick up his books before going to his next class, anyway, and he figured that Pepper needed some time to think. Plus, the moment Tony woke up, and after he practically inhaled his lunch, the couple would probably want some privacy before returning to class. He did not want to be there for it, either; he knew exactly what the duo would do when alone, if given the time.

Pepper watched her friend vacate the roof and close the door behind him, leaving her to sigh and pout again, wondering what to do about her predicament now. She could not ask Tony to repeat everything he had told her just moments ago, but she could perhaps ask other people who had been at the conference about what had been said. Maybe she could sneak in some tutoring time with Professor Klein after school and ask him to explain what the lecture had been about. And, if all else failed, maybe she could stalk Dr. Richards himself and beg for some of his time.

Or maybe, she was blowing this out of proportion.

Or maybe, she was not.

Maybe Rhodey was wrong. Maybe her fears were justified. Maybe, once the magic of making out was gone, Tony would realize that Pepper brought nothing of intellect to his life. What if he grew tired of her inability to appreciate his love of and obsession with science? What if he found her boring once they went to college and he met other girls that actually _knew_ the difference between the atomic mass and the atomic number of an element? God, she hated Chemistry! And that was the easiest of the sciences! What could she hope to understand about physics? Or _space_ physics?

"There's no way around it," she whispered to herself. "I have to learn science. I just _have_ to learn how to understand it."

"No, you don't," his unexpected whispered response made her physically flinch. Her eyes then immediately looked down to his form to watch him readjust his position on her lap, see his arms surround her waist, and then feel his grip on her tighten up.

"You don't have to learn anything," he continued, his eyes still closed. "I like you like that, Pep… just the way you are."

She bit down on her bottom lip when she felt the rush of blood to her face. She was lucky that he fell asleep again almost right away, and that he was nowhere near her chest at the moment, lest he would have felt, first-hand, the huge effect his words had had on her heart.


	3. Chapter 2

**Guest Review Responses**

 **apps: You are really a GEM...beautifully written...i just love you and your stories...i nearly drowned into this chappie as i was reading it somehow came to me that tony must be overhearing their conversation... pls keep on updating its growing interesting wanna see upto what length pepper will go to keep up with tony and then how will tony romanticise the same...and i am doing good hope you also doing great...also sorry for not reviewing TLM as i just want our couple to be ok by end of story –** No worries! TLC will get very intense before it gets better. Lucky for you and me, _Eye of the Beholder_ and _Oh, Yeah: Her_ are here to save the day! Thank you for sticking around! Readers like you are the reason I write!

 **Your fan: Amazing please give me more chapters we need more writers like you xxx –** You're new, I think ;) Welcome to the club! *blushes* Thank you for the compliments, too :) Hope this chapter is liked, too!

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 **Chapter 2**

When she had been around eight years of age or so, she had learned the value of trusting your gut instinct. That churning, almost nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach had saved her skin from being in trouble before – or in _too_ much trouble, as it was the case with her. She could not help it: trouble just seemed to find her, wherever she went; quite naturally, too, it appeared to be. Nevertheless, her sixth sense, or whatever it was called, had so far somehow managed to minimize the negative impact of her innate ability to attract less-than-pleasant situations in life.

 _Minimize_ being the keyword. Not prevent. Just _minimize_.

As such, and very early this morning, when she had opened her eyes before the alarm clock had even had a chance to put its pants on, Pepper Potts had left her home almost as soon as she had woken up. The feeling had been within her, strong and heavy, and it had made her feet feel like lead with every step taken to come to school. Walking to school before the sun even rose was not part of her routine. Chewing her nails until her fingertips were raw was not either. And neither was it common for her to yelp in almost terrified surprise when a pair of arms suddenly hugged her from behind.

"Sorry," Tony's apologetic voice in her left ear made her heart beat faster than she believed it could afford to do at this juncture. She should have expected this to happen at some point during the morning: it was almost a ritual for the genius boy to hug her as soon as he found her in the halls once he arrived to school. Nonetheless, it appeared to her as if time and space had connived against her, making her unable to put two and two together, let alone understand what was happening around her.

Whatever it was, it was going to be big. Whatever it was, it was going to happen soon.

Curse that gut instinct of hers. It was hardly ever wrong.

"S'okay," she retorted, lightly patted his arms with her hands a couple of times, but did not bother turning around.

Tony frowned with concern, tightened his grip around her, pressed her back closer to his chest, and then rested his chin on her left shoulder.

"Everything alright, Pep?"

"Yeah," she replied a little too loudly, almost squeakily so, and then forced a smile on her face when she felt Tony turning her around in place.

"You sure?" he shifted his hands so that they now rested on either side of her waist, and he tilted his head to the right in a suspicious manner.

"Of course I am sure!" she nodded exaggeratedly. "Why wouldn't I be sure? Everything's fine. Everything's perfect. Peachy. _Awesome_. Just another sunny day for me!"

Tony gazed at her face intently for a moment, studying every inch of it as if he were searching for something only he could see. The redhead felt her face and neck heat up at that, and her eyes swiftly shifted left and right to avoid his deep stare. She felt his thumbs glide up and down on her stomach, and the rest of his fingers tap on her back, as if silently debating his next move. And just as she was about to open her mouth to spew up even more fabrications to the boy, he sighed in slight exasperation before he leaned down to place a quick peck on her lips.

"You're a terrible liar, Pepper," he said once he pulled back his face from hers. "But I'll let it go… for now."

The redhead closed her eyes, nodded a few times, and then hugged him as hard as she could by snaking her arms around his back.

"Thank you, Tony," she mumbled against his chest.

"For what?" he rested his chin on top of her head.

"For just," she squeezed him even harder than before when she felt that gut instinct of hers starting to claw at her insides. "For being… you."

The inventor frowned even more with her response, stole a glance at her from his vantage point, and then returned the embrace, worry written all over his face.

"Anytime, Pep. Anytime."

xxxXXXxxx

The day was almost over. Or at the very least, the parts of the day that mattered to her the most were about to come to an end. The feeling of anxiety was still very much alive and kicking in her. However, she was now less uneasy that the warning signs that had woken her up with a start this morning were of something too life-changing or too life-threatening, this time around. Still, she had spent the school day being extremely alert – almost to the point of paranoia, if just to feel as if she had some manner of control.

She had double-checked that her father was alright – he had actually texted her that he had come home early from work, and that he would be waiting for her to have dinner together. Her teachers had not given her hard take-home assignments for the next day, and the score for her latest test had turned out to be nearly perfect, give or take a few points. None of her friends had been angry with her, in danger or in trouble. The city had been safe all day. And her loving boyfriend had not broken up with her. In fact, he was, at this very moment, walking her home from school.

"Are you still upset about yesterday?"

Pepper caught only the last part of his question, prompting him to stop them both in their tracks by standing in her way. She blinked several times to focus her eyes on his worried-looking face, realized they were no longer moving, and she then frowned.

"What?"

"Yesterday," he lightly shrugged, his hands in his pockets. "Are you still thinking about that?"

"I…" she looked towards the dark alley to her right – one that told her they were just two blocks away from her house. "No, Tony. I… I mean, I still want to, you know, do more science, for you, but I... Well, it's not… it's not…"

"Pep," his shoulders slumped. "Please, talk to me."

"I," she tried again, spared him a glance before looking away, and then busied her hands by tugging at the hem of her blouse. "I just… I…"

"Did I do something wrong?" he felt his throat dry up after uttering his question even though he was almost completely certain that he had done nothing to upset the girl.

"No," she sighed. "You've done nothing wrong. It's-it's not you, Tony. It's me. It's just me."

"You know," he kicked an invisible rock with his left foot, his gaze glued to the ground, his heart nearly beating out of his chest. "I know enough about relationships to know what the line _It's not you, it's me_ really means."

It took her an instant to understand his words, but once the weight of them dawned on her, she gasped out all the air in her lungs.

"Tony!" she cupped her face. "I didn't mean it like that!"

He wanted to believe her – almost instantly, especially since they had been rather happy in each other's company just the day before – but he could not even face her. She had been acting strange all day; being practically on edge at all times, and she had flinched away from him every time he had tried to touch her after this morning's hug. She had not even said a word to him during their free period, and not because they had been making out, as they had spent their free period doing the complete opposite, in fact. He had been watching her intently while she had been spacing out the entire time.

"It's OK, Pep," he whispered. "I… I get it… I think."

"No, Tony," she threw herself at the genius, her arms surrounding him while his own were still pressed against his sides. "Don't say that. Please, don't say that."

Tony lifted his gaze to her hazel orbs, slowly pulled his arms from her bear hug, and then rested his hands on her cheeks. The worry in her eyes and the look of desperation on her face should have been enough for him to comprehend that he had obviously misunderstood her actions and intentions. However, and unexpectedly, she sealed the deal for him when she stood on her tiptoes, surrounded his neck with her arms, and then pressed her lips against his.

This sensation; this overpowering yet soft feeling of something warm clutching at his heart was new. Brand new. And it made him dizzy.

She had hugged him before, and she had kissed him before. But this was the _first_ time she did both at the _same_ darn time.

He had thought that her left hand rubbing against the back of his neck during their last make out session had been heaven, and yet…

How foolish he had been!

His left arm surrounded her waist and lifted her from the ground, allowing her to focus more on the kiss rather than on keeping herself propped up to be able to reach his face. His right hand then held onto the back of her neck, and his fingers lightly tugged at her hair.

They both lost themselves in the kiss – in the wave of new sensations it brought them, until the need for air pulled them apart.

"I'm sorry, Tony," the ginger breathed hard. "I didn't mean for you to think that. That…that-that's the _last_ thing on my mind. I… I'm happy… so very happy… with you."

A smiled tugged at him as he put her feet back on the ground.

"I'm happy too, Pep."

"Then don't ever bring that up again, OK?" she pulled away from him when she remembered they were in public view.

"OK," he nodded, grabbed her hand, and then resumed their walk. "But what about you? Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?"

"I… I don't even know, Tony. I just… I just have this feeling, you know? Like, something bad's gonna happen. I don't know why, but I do."

Tony eyed his girlfriend up and down for a moment and then looked all around them; worry creeping up on him that her bad feeling was due to some paparazzi snatching a picture of their rather blatant display of affection of just now. He then squeezed and tugged at her hand when he realized that there was nothing to be done about it now – it was already said and done. Either way, if someone tried to bribe them for the pictures, he would gladly pay any amount, if only to keep Pepper from being called every name in the book for showing him affection in front of an intrusive crowd.

"Well," he began with a shrug, "You had a good day today, right? How about you try to sleep it off? If you still feel weird tomorrow, let me know. We'll figure out what it is, alright?"

"Yeah," Pepper nodded, confidence suddenly filling her at hearing his supportive words. "Yeah, you're right. It's probably nothing. I'm probably just overreacting or something like that."

"And, if you're not," he said when they stopped by the entrance of her apartment building, "You can tell me about it, OK? I… well, I may be your boyfriend now and all, but… but-but I'm also your friend."

"Best friend," she smiled.

"Best friend," he smirked and winked. "Just don't tell Rhodey that."

Her reply was to giggle before she made a motion with her right hand signaling a zipper closing over her lips. The genius then took his last chance to kiss his girlfriend's lips, give her a last hug, and then watched her run up the stairs to her floor before the front door slammed shut. He waited outside for a minute, worried for an instant that the bad feeling she had described was of something evil waiting for her to come home, but when he remembered that she had her armor backpack with her, and that she was freaking Rescue, for crying out loud, he simply shook his head and turned on his heels to head to his home.

Inside her building, Pepper could barely contain her excitement with what had just happened between her and Tony – with the way he had kissed her, played with her hair, and held her up in the air, just moments ago. She had not had enough time to replay the sweet scene in her mind right after it had happened, let alone dwell in the feelings of bliss that accompanied his eager disposition with the entire feat. The poor boy had thought she was planning on breaking up with him, yet he now knew that this was the last thing she wanted to do to him. Why would he even think that of her? She had never felt as content and complete in her entire life as she did being with him. Most especially, if he continued to touch her in the way he did – and if he continued making her feel as special to him as he already did.

Nevertheless, now that she was approaching her home, she could feel heat rising to her face. Hopefully, with any bit of luck, her father had not seen them kiss the way they had a few blocks back. If he had, she would have to hear _the talk_ from him again – and even after hearing it over one-hundred times, it was still rather awkward for her.

Pushing away negative thoughts, Pepper tried to unlock the front door of her home, only to realize that the lock was not even on. It took her a second, but she then remembered that her father was home early, so it would make sense that he unlocked the door near her arrival time. It was not unusual or unexpected – it was just what her father would do.

With a wide grin and in high spirits, she took a step inside the living room, closed the door behind her, and then felt her entire world come crashing down on her.

Curse her gut feeling.

It was never wrong.

And as she stared with surprise at the two sets of blue eyes looking back at her from the couch, Pepper Potts finally realized what her bad feelings had been about.

It had not been about Tony, Rhodey, or Happy. It had not been about anything related to school. It had not been about superhero business; or even about her father at all.

It had been about something that was much, much, _much_ worse.

She had believed that with everything going right in her life, nothing could conceivably go wrong.

But she had been mistaken. Very much mistaken. She had been utterly _wrong_.

Because, what could possibly go wrong in her almost perfect life, at this point?

Oh, yeah: _her_.

* * *

 **A/N:** DUN-DUN-DUN! I promise this story is not about to get angsty… it's just… a wrench… a BIG wrench, but still nothing but a tool. Our Pepperony is strong in this story… and MS Word just capitalized the word Pepperony for me XD Don't forget to review!


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

He rested his right forearm above his head and against his locker, his fingers impatiently tapping the metal doors of it. His eyes kept alternating between staring at the corner of the hall and at his watch on his left wrist, neither of them showing him what he wanted to see. There were only a few seconds left of the morning passing period before he had to rush to his class, yet he was not very compelled to do so without making sure to greet his girlfriend before that. She had been so distant the day before, and she then had conveyed to him how worried she was over something she could not even pinpoint, so when she had failed to respond to his texts and phone calls for the rest of the day, and then early this morning, his anxiety had been dialed up to eleven.

"Dude, we're gonna be late," Rhodey's voice behind him made the inventor frown.

"Where is she, Rhodey? What if something bad happened to her?"

"T, the armor hasn't even been activated. She's fine."

"If she's fine, then why hasn't she returned my calls?" Tony asked as he turned around in place and reluctantly began following Rhodey to their first period classroom.

"She probably overslept," Rhodey shrugged. "Maybe she watched a movie with her dad last night and lost track of time. He's rarely home, right? Can you blame her for wanting to spend time with him?"

"Well, no," Tony sighed. "But if she was busy, she would've told me, right? I mean, this is Pepper we're talking about. Pepper! When has she ever _not_ returned a call or a message within half a second of being sent?"

"When she's mad at you?" Rhodey offered.

"Exactly!"

"So, she's mad at you."

"No, she's not!"

"You sure? Because sometimes you're as clueless and slow to react as a guppy."

"I am su– Mmhhh…"

Tony interrupted his own response, reviewed in his mind the events of the day before, and then frowned. He was confident that their goodbye had been very amicable, especially since there had been some kissing involved. Girls did not kiss guys they were angry at, right? Girls would not let their boyfriends make out with them if they had done something wrong, right?

Then again, what if it was not Pepper who was mad at him, but her dad was? What if her dad had seen them kiss in the streets? Was if this was why she was not here? Was she grounded? Had Pepper lost her phone privileges because of him? Or worse: had her father banned her from even speaking to him?

 _Wait a minute_ , Tony's head suddenly recoiled. "Did you just call me a guppy?!"

"Mr. Stark!" the teacher growled, making the genius flinch where he stood. "Can you please sit down? Class started two minutes ago!"

"What?" Tony's eyes widened. He then looked away from the angry teacher and towards the rest of the class, only to see that every other student was already busy with the first assignment of the day, while he was still standing by the door, looking like a mumbling idiot.

"I won't ask for a third time, Mr. Stark."

 _Third time?!_ The inventor wanted to scream. _How spaced out could I have been?_

"Mr. Stark…" the teacher's voice trailed, signaling her approach to the end of her wits.

"Sorry," the genius whispered with a gulp; his head hung, his shoulders rose in embarrassment, and he then slowly walked to his seat. As soon as he sat down and took out his book to find the page the assignment was on, he heard Rhodey whisper to him.

"See? Guppy."

"Shut up," Tony said between gritted teeth.

"Alright, people," the teacher began from her standing position at the front of the class. "Once you finish that warm up, I need you to–"

A knock on the classroom door made the teacher groan, pinch the bridge of her nose, and then sigh loudly in exasperation.

"I'm trying to teach here," the woman mumbled on her way to the door. "Does anybody care about that?"

Wanting to avoid being sent to the office, Tony lowered his head even more, opting to concentrate on finishing the warm-up as soon as he could. He was already behind in time, but he knew that he could complete the simple task before anyone else could. He was Tony Stark, after all, and a topic as easy as English Grammar was no match for him. And maybe, just maybe, seeing as he might be able to finish the 10-minute assignment in just two, it was possible that the teacher allowed him to go to the bathroom, even if he actually wanted to use the opportunity just to check that Pepper had made it to school. They did not share a class until third period, and then their common off period took place. But he honestly could not wait that long. He had to find out if she was OK _right now_.

"DONE!" Tony practically screamed at the top of his lungs, his arm high in the air before he even lifted his head. "Can I go to the bathroom?"

"Uhm, T…"

"Mr. Stark! You're _really_ testing my patience today! Plus, you also just interrupted our new student. Do you mind?"

"What?" Tony finally lifted his head, allowed his field of vision to expand, and then realized what the commotion by the door had been.

"Oh," the blue-eyed boy lowered his arm. "Sorry."

"I should've gone to med school," the old teacher mumbled under her breath. "Anyway, please continue your introduction."

"Sure," the short brunette shrugged. "My name is Samantha. I'm new to the city. And I go by _Sam_."

"Welcome to the Tomorrow Academy, Sam," the teacher patted the girl on her shoulder. "Now please, find a seat next to Mr. Rhodes so that we can actually get some work done today. Mr. Rhodes, please raise your hand."

The boy immediately did as told and, not two seconds later, the beautiful brunette sat to his right. The girl carefully placed her paper and pencil on the table, and was then addressed by a flinching young billionaire.

"Sorry," he apologized again. "I didn't mean to be rude to you just now."

"That's OK," Sam replied with a smile. "I'm late to class. It's kind of my fault. What are we doing?"

"Answering the questions on page 394."

"Oh," Sam frowned. "I don't have a book yet."

"Want to borrow mine? I'm already done," Tony offered the book to the girl, which was then transferred from one side to the other by Rhodey's assistance in between.

"Thanks, Tony," Sam grabbed the book and then quickly searched for the page in question.

"You're wel – Wait, you know who I am?"

"Well, duh! You're Iron Man! And you are–" Sam pointed at Rhodey, but the boy simply rolled his eyes.

"Chopped Liver," Rhodey said, unamused that he was being ignored by the hot new girl again. "If you know who he is, then my name is Chopped Liver."

Sam giggled behind her hand. "No, you're not. You're James Rhodes. You're War Machine."

"Someone knows who I am," Rhodey said with raised eyebrows before his head snapped to his right. "Wait, you're not psychic, right?"

"No," Sam frowned in confusion. "Why?"

"No reason," Rhodey cleared his throat.

Tony rolled his eyes, returned his attention to his plan to get the teacher to let him go to the bathroom, but was then interrupted by his book being handed back to him.

"Done," Sam smiled. "Thanks for letting me borrow your book."

"Huh?" Rhodey arched a single eyebrow. "You're… done? As in, you don't get the assignment, or…"

"As in I finished it," she shrugged. "Pretty easy."

"No, it's not," Rhodey groaned. "It's ten questions, and I'm stuck on number 3!"

"Comparative," both Sam and Tony provided the answer in unison.

"What?" Rhodey shook his head and pointed towards the girl. "What just happened here? You weren't even in class here yesterday! How do you know this?"

"I read," Sam replied.

"Grammar books for fun?!" Rhodey spat.

"Grammar, for fun? God, no!" Sam chuckled. "That's what science books are for!"

"Science?" Tony's interest was suddenly piqued. "What kind of science?"

"Any kind!" Sam replied. "Although, I _do_ have a favorite science."

"Which is?" Tony eyed the smiling girl.

"Physics! I love physics!"

"Really?" Rhodey asked with confusion. "You like physics?"

"Yeah! I have that class during third period! I can't wait!"

"Professor Klein?" Tony asked.

"Yeah!" Sam nodded.

Tony slammed his left palm on his desk. "I have that class, too!"

"MR. STARK!" the teacher's voice resounded in the entire room. "Principal's office. NOW!"

xxxXXXxxx

"Oh, man. This is nuts!"

The visit to Principal Nara's office had turned out to take longer than he had anticipated – as in it had taken the rest of first period, _all_ of his second period class, and the passing period to third. Not only was he now late for his third period class, but he had also been assigned detention during his off period. He was very tempted to just skip the rest of the day and look for Pepper, but he knew that this would only make matters worse. If she was in trouble or grounded, the last thing he wanted to acquire was further punishment that would eat up more of his time that he could have been using to find out where his girlfriend was.

"My dad's so gonna yell at me, too," Tony mumbled as he knocked on the door to his science class, tardy pass in his hand. Before he knew it, the door was unlocked and opened for him, by none other than the new girl in school.

"You're late," she tilted her head to the side and took a step back to let him in.

"Had to wait in line," he said as he walked inside, waved the tardy pass towards the teacher, sat at his favorite two-seat desk at the front of the class, and then noticed that the seat next to his was soon occupied by Sam.

"Mind if we share a desk?"

"Uhm," Tony grimaced. "Actually, I already have a lab partner."

"Oh?" Sam's head recoiled. "Really? Where is he?"

"She," Tony looked around, his head slowly turning all the way to the back of the class, and then frowned when there was no sign of the redhead. "She doesn't appear to be here right now."

"Oh, well," Sam smiled and handed him the day's worksheet. "I guess we can be lab partners for today, then, huh?"

"I, uhm… I-I guess, yes."

"Cool! I already started and got up to question #5, but I think the answer choices are wrong."

"Mmhmm," Tony was not sure what he was responding to, as his eyes were now staring at the classroom door.

"I think the answer should be 3.0 Ohm, but it's not even one of the answers. What do you think?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, what?"

"I agree."

"Agree, with what?"

"With, uhm…" Tony briefly returned his attention to the assignment, eyeballed the area where her finger was pointing, and then frowned. "Yeah, you're right, Sam. The answer choices are incorrect."

"I thought so. Let me tell Professor Klein."

Before Sam had the chance to get up from her desk, the front door was unlocked from outside by the school nurse. The woman held the door open for the student she was escorting to class, and when said student walked inside, her head hung, Tony's world shrunk to focusing only on the redhead before him.

"Professor Klein. I'm sorry about the interruption," the nurse began, "But you know I'm required to drop off students if they're under my care."

"It's no problem, Nurse Owen. Miss Potts, please come in."

Pepper slowly lifted her head, realized her seat was taken, and then looked down again. Without sparing Tony a glance, the ginger quickly walked towards the other end of the room, deliberately avoiding the knowing glances of everyone in class. The only space left to sit in was a single-chair by the back right corner of the room – one that was hardly ever used because it meant being partner-less in class.

"Pepper," Tony's voice denoted how worried he still was for her, even if she appeared to be physically alright.

"I take it that Pepper is your lab partner?" Sam asked, her eyes on Tony's even though his were on his crestfallen redhead.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"So, I guess you do all the work and she just puts her name on the paper, huh?"

It took Tony a second to process Samantha's words but, once he did, his head snapped from staring at Pepper, who was obviously avoiding exchanging looks with him, to practically glaring at a smirking brunette sitting next to him.

"What did you just say?"

"Don't worry," Sam waved her hand dismissively towards him as she stood up, paper in hand. "I won't tell anyone, I promise. It's not my problem if you don't mind her cheating off you."

"What?" Tony felt his jaw clench. "She doesn't cheat off me!"

"Relax," the girl shrugged. "Your little secret is safe with me."

Tony opened his mouth once more to set the record straight, but Sam had already reached the teacher's desk. As such, the genius opted to focusing all of his attention on Pepper again. Samantha was too busy debating with Professor Klein about the mistake on the assignment, so she could wait to be told she was wrong about Pepper once she returned. While it was partly true that the redhead required a lot of help in the area of physics, she did put a lot of effort into understanding the concepts rather than just letting Tony answer every question for her. He was not sure why this girl had just automatically assumed she knew how he and Pepper operated in class, but it was a misunderstanding he was definitely going to squash as soon as he could.

 _ **After**_ _I find out why Pepper was with the nurse._

The genius looked towards the teacher's desk yet again, made sure that Professor Klein was distracted enough with the presence of the new girl, and then slowly began sliding away from his desk. He was halfway out of his seat, his eyes locked on Pepper's turned away head, but before he could take one step towards his destination, Professor Klein addressed the entire room.

"Class," the man began writing on the board, "There appears to be a mistake on the assignment. Please refer to question five and…"  
Tony tuned out the rest of the announcement, knowing exactly what the teacher was about to point out, but he was then brought back to reality when the boy behind him chuckled derisively at him.

"Wow, Stark. Partnering up with the new girl already? I didn't take you for that kind of player!"

"What?"

"Like you don't know," the male student scoffed. "I know they look nothing alike but, c'mon, man! They're sisters!"

"Sisters? Who-what?"

The student rolled his eyes, opened his mouth to retort, but then closed his mouth when the genius was loudly addressed by the professor.

"Seems you have competition, Mr. Stark," the professor teased, Samantha smiling with pride next to the old man. "Miss Potts has a good eye for catching my mistakes."

"Miss… Potts?" Tony frowned, his eyes briefly landing on Pepper's form to watch her cover her face with her hands.

"Keep an eye on her, people," Professor Klein nodded. "Miss Potts here is very smart!"

Samantha practically skipped back to her seat, sat next to Tony, and then gave him a thumbs-up before returning her attention to the paper.

He should have noticed before – _way_ before now, but it was not until this moment; until his eyes finally bothered to look at the top left corner of the paper, where the students' names were to be written, that he understood what had just taken place.

 _Samantha Alexa Potts_.

The inventor's jaw dropped.

A _sister_. _Her_ sister.

Pepper Potts had _a sister_ – one that he had never known about.

Or at least not until now.


	5. Chapter 4

**Guest Review Responses**

 **apps: Niceee going...but i am not liking this samantha and tony should really fight hard for his relationship now...coming to pepperony part i am really into it.** – This Samantha/Tony/Pepper interaction is going to be very interesting, to say the least. Hehehe… hehehehe :D

 **Guest: Okay, I know this is going to sound super insensitive, but here goes. I know you like JUST updated it, but please don't make me suffer. You mus update again! Please! The suspense! I cannot take it! It's so good! –** SO SORRY! I totally wanted to update ASAP but, you know, life and all that. I had a good schedule going, but my work hours have extended a lot and shot my plans :( I was aiming for aiming three stories per week on the weekends, but man, I am SO behind on that! Sorry about that, but here's the new chapter. Hope you like it!

 **MyCaptainsSwan: (Can't be bothered to log in) 'Or worse: had her father band her from even speaking to him?' ...ahem...wrong fic... Oooooh is Sam the 'her'!? HAHA POOR RHODEY Omg I'm actually feeling jealous for Pepper wth. That's just rude you made her bond with Tony on the one thing Pepper can't uggghhhh I already hate Sam. 'I guess we can be lab partners for today, then, huh?' KILL IT WITH FIRE! WHAT. THE... OMG. I WAS THINKING MAYBE A COUSIN, BUT IT'S HER SISTER?! Damn...can't wait for the next chapter! –** LOL! Yeah! When I read your review I realized it sounded like _2020_ XD Total coincidence, I promise! There will be no end-of-the-world theme in this one. And yes, Sam is _her_. We'll actually learn more about Pepper through Samantha, and you may even end up liking the girl… maybe… towards the end… or at some point before we all die. Or right before we all walk up with torches to her and set her on fire.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

It was already happening. She did not want to believe it, but it was already happening. The one thing that she had so greatly feared, as soon as she had walked into her living room the day before to see her father sitting with Samantha on their couch, was already unfolding before her very eyes: Tony Stark, her genius boyfriend, was already bonding with _her_.

Her. _Why_ her? Why did it always have to be _her_?

In hindsight, she should have seen it coming, miles away; both literally and metaphorically. She had heard her father talking over the phone about it. She had suspected that something very serious was happening with her mother – something that resembled the reason why she and her father had divorced. But the redhead had expected the matter to be resolved elsewhere. She had not expected Samantha to be sent to New York because of it.

Or at least not while she was still around, that was for sure. Could Child Protective Services not have waited until the summer break? Or maybe until she was no longer living at home?

Why, oh, why had they deemed it appropriate to uproot Samantha from Pittsburgh, only a couple of months away from high school graduation? Why had the government entity believed it wise to send a sixteen-year-old girl away from her mother to live with her father and her older sister, two people the teen rarely called to say _hi_ to?

 _Why? I mean, like… Why?!_

Sadly, Pepper Potts _knew_ why. She knew it _too_ well, in fact. She had lived it, more than Samantha would ever be able to remember, and much more than the younger girl had even been able to understand. She _had_ been the oldest child at the time. She _had_ taken the hits for her sister – one too many times to count.

With a loud sigh, the redhead closed her stinging eyes. Her arms then circled around herself, taking on the same helpless pose she had grown accustomed to being in every time her mother had beaten her up in a drunken rage. She could almost hear her slurred, angry words yelling at her; smell the alcohol-ridden scent emanating from her pores; and even _feel_ the pain left behind on bruised areas of her body that had healed long ago.

Healed physically, sure. But emotionally…

"You can't hide in there all day, Pepper," Rhodey's knock on the door made her yelp. Shaken out of her stupor, Pepper briefly covered her mouth with her hands as if she could somehow take back the sound she had just made, stared left and right, and then looked over her left shoulder and towards the door.

"I'm not in here!" she physically flinched right after the words left her mouth. "Aw, man!" the girl added with a groan.

A light chuckle followed the opening of the door of the cleaning closet she had chosen as her hideout, to reveal a smirking yet concerned-looking James Rhodes.

"How did you manage to unlock the door?" a petulant-sounding redhead asked as she stood up from the floor.

"Locks from the outside."

"It, _what_?"

The redhead took a step towards the exit to place the lock on the knob. She then proceeded to jiggle the handle both from the inside and the outside, quickly confirming with a whine that her friend was telling the truth.

"Stupid door!"

"You can't avoid him forever, Pepper," Rhodey candidly stated, cutting to the chase before the ginger had a chance to try to make an escape or come up with another delay of a retort. Her face scrunched in distaste at his words, opened her mouth to deny his claims, but then her eyes narrowed when a mop fell on the side of her head.

"Ugh! Stop doing that!" Pepper stomped her right foot on the ground as she pushed away the offending cleaning tool, much in the same fashion she had done so the first time the wet mop had hit her when she had first walked inside the tiny room.

"Pepper–"

"How did you find me?" she snapped while she crossed her arms over her chest.

"There's only so many places to hide around here," Rhodey shrugged. "And the last time you tried to hide from people, you did it here. It was the day that you accidentally slammed into Greg in the cafeteria during lunch and your food tray flipped onto you."

Pepper's mouth went agape and her arms dropped to her sides, unable to believe that Rhodey recalled the first time they had ever spoken in their entire lives. They had not been friends back then, but the highly mortifying incident had made the young boy feel embarrassed for the quirky girl that had all but bolted out of the cafeteria after being covered in questionable food. As such, as it was his nature, he had taken on the task of looking for her to make sure she was alright. He had known that the entire school, during their freshman year – and still a little bit, nowadays – thought all kinds of weird things about the spunky girl. Nevertheless, she was still a person, one that had never had friends until Tony Stark had shown up, and high school-aged kids could be extremely harsh.

"You remember that?"

"Yup. You hid in this same cleaning closet back then. And once I found you here, I remember that, for the rest of the day, you smelled like grape juice, pizza and chlorine, all at once."

Her only response was to look down and shrink further into the small room.

"Come on, Pepper," Rhodey waved her over with his left hand. "You have to come out."

"No, I don't," she replied between gritted teeth.

"Yes, you _do_. You've been there all your free period, haven't you? You haven't even eaten, huh? Lunch ends in twenty-minutes."

"So, what?" Pepper challenged, her nose sticking up in the air and her arms crossing over her chest once more.

"So we have class in twenty- _five_ minutes, if you count the passing period. The _four_ of us: you, me, Tony, and–"

"LALALALALALA!" Pepper covered her ears with her fingers.

"Fine!" Rhodey lifted his arms to the sides of his face in a defeated gesture. "Won't mention her name, OK? But you still have to come out of there. You still have to talk to–"

"LALALALALALA!" the redhead repeated her previous response, prompting Rhodey to roll his eyes before pulling her out of the closet by the hand.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Snap out of it, Pepper!" Rhodey growled.

"No!"

"Pepper! Seriously! What's gotten into you? You and Tony need to–"

"NO!" she clenched her hands and leaned closer towards Rhodey. "This is not happening. We are NOT talking about it, because there's nothing to talk about!"

"Pepper–"

"NO!" she shook her head vehemently. "We are not having this conversation. You are not here. I am not here."

"Pepper, you're not a child! You have to–"

"No! You can't tell me what to do. And you know why? Because I don't have to do anything! Nothing at all! Nuh-uh! No, siree! NOTHING! I don't have to do anything!"

"Actually, you do. You _do_ have to talk about it… with _me_."

Her eyes went so wide at hearing Tony's voice coming from behind her that Rhodey was reminded of an eerie-looking Halloween mask of a zombie he had seen on display, long ago. Her face paled almost at the same time that her shoulders became stiff, leaving her to look as drained of color as said mask had been. The only thing the redhead was missing at the moment to equally resemble the Halloween item was a trail of blood leaking down from the corner of her mouth, unmistakably originated from a recent brain eaten by the apocalyptic entity in question.

Unfortunately for the redhead, a sudden zombie outbreak was currently not in the cards.

"I'll see you two in class."

With that final statement, Pepper's eyes were on Rhodey the entire time it took him to turn around in place, walk away from her, down the hall, and then around the corner. Her eyes then drifted from the end of the row of lockers on the wall to the still opened closet to her left, wondering how fast she could jump back inside, and how likely it was for her, once there again, to be magically teleported to a faraway land.

"Pepper?" Tony's voice was tender yet firm. "We need to talk."

The redhead swallowed hard, closed her eyes tightly, and then spoke in a barely joking tone.

"I know enough about relationships to know what the line–"

"No," the genius rounded her standing form so that he could finally face her. This was the closest they had physically been since yesterday, and he was already feeling the negative effects of the invisible wall that was appearing to be rapidly building between them. He would not let it finish coming together, let alone allow it to be there forever.

"You know that's not what I mean," he continued. "And it's not a joke."

"But…" her voice trailed.

"But, nothing," he said in a way that made her open her eyes and look up to stare at him. In response, the inventor then tried to place his hands on her shoulders, but the redhead immediately hugged herself and pulled back.

"Tony, I… I can't…"

Hearing her nearly burst into tears – something she was not known to do often – Tony felt his heart break. Whatever was happening to her, _whatever_ she was feeling right now; it was a lot worse than what he had imagined it could be.

"Let's go upstairs," he took a step closer to her and he was glad to see that she did not pull away this time. "I'm not mad, Pep. Just… _confused_. And worried… about you."

She opened her mouth to decline his invitation, but she was unable to force the words out. Knowing that trying to outrun Iron Man was not going to lead her anywhere, the redhead opted to reluctantly give her boyfriend a nod. She even let him grab her hand and lead her towards the roof, where she knew exactly what they were going to talk about.

xxxXXXxxx

Neither of them knew _how_ to start the awkward conversation, _if_ they should have been sitting rather than standing, _or_ if the result of this talk was going to be positive at all. But they also knew that they could not pretend that Pepper had not been avoiding him since yesterday after he had dropped her off at her home. Tony was not so much concerned with the fact that his girlfriend had ignored him on purpose, but much so with finding out the reason why she was so visibly riled up.

When another minute of silence passed between them, and not wanting to be sent to detention again for being late to class once more, Tony scratched the back of his head with his left hand, dug his hands into his pockets, and then finally spoke.

"Soooo…" his right foot slowly moved from side to side, "You have a sister."

Pepper nodded in response, her eyes still avoiding his at all costs.

"And, I take it that, given the fact she's enrolled in the Academy, she's gonna be here for a while."

"Yeah," she croaked.

"How long?"

"I don't know," she half-shrugged.

"How come? When did she get here?"

"Yesterday," Pepper finally spared him a glance. "She was home when I got there. I… My mom… she-she's not able to care for her right now. And, since she's still a minor, well…" she shrugged again.

"Huh," Tony rubbed his chin with his right hand. "And… this is a problem because…"

"We… we aren't exactly on speaking terms. We haven't been for a while."

"OK," he folded his arms over his stomach and then leaned closer to her, his body language showing how much interest he had in the conversation. "Why?"

"Uhm…" the redhead's eyes shifted left and right, up and down, and even diagonally, stopping only when she felt Tony's right hand on her left cheek.

"Pep, come on. You know you can tell me anything, right? I know you know that you can trust me."

After closing her eyes for a moment when Tony brushed her cheek with his thumb, Pepper sighed in defeat before making her reply.

"We… were never very close when we were kids. And then definitely not close at all for the longest time. After my parents got divorced, she and my mom moved away. We used to visit them often but… but it was never nice. We would always fight. Eventually… eventually the visits stopped. My dad stopped making me go visit them. He knew I hated it."

"I see," the inventor measuredly replied as he pulled back his hand from her face, his mind instantly recalling how nice Samantha had been to him and Rhodey, and how honest she had seemed about it as well. Other than that one comment about Pepper using him to pass Physics class, the girl had been nothing but upbeat and polite. He was not one to judge Pepper or her sister, and he could not really understand what sibling rivalry between two females entailed, but he was one to give people a second chance.

"Well, Pep," he braced himself for an outburst, "What if… what if she's changed?"

To his surprise, Pepper's face did not show any anger. Instead, it just fell.

"I doubt it. Last time I saw her, we… well, there was a fist fight."

"Really?" Tony's head recoiled. "How long ago was that?"

"Uhm… two, maybe three years?"

"That's a long time."

"Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"People change," he offered again, hoping her calmed demeanor remained after his retort, but he was in fact faced with a scowling look.

"Are you _actually_ defending her, Stark?" she repeatedly poked his chest with her right index finger until his right hand wrapped around it to make it stop, but only held it for a second before she angrily pulled it away from his grip.

"No, I–"

"Did she get to you already? Did she sweet-talk you with her science know-how?!"

"What? No, Pepper! Of course not! I just…" he sighed. "All I'm saying is that I can see how much this affects you. I can see that it makes you very upset. And I don't want to see you like that. I… maybe… maybe you should give her a chance. Talk to her. You're not kids anymore, right? I mean, if she's gonna be here a while… coming to school with us and all… don't you think it's worth trying to get to know her again? Maybe even call a truce?"

"I…" her shoulders deflated and she hugged herself again, unable to refute his words. Samantha, thus far, had not been the pain in the ass that she remembered her to be. This did not mean, however, that she was not planning to be one the first chance she had. Yet, at this point in time, all the redhead had to go by to make assumptions of her true intentions were the incidents of their past.

"I guess, yeah. Yeah, maybe you're right."

Half-smirking and quite happy with his handiwork, Tony closed the distance between them, rested his hands on her waist, and then tilted his head to the side to catch her eyes.

"Are you gonna be alright, Pep?"

Incapable of keeping her sad look in place while staring at his hopeful face, Pepper nodded a couple of times and smiled.

"There you go," he pulled her even closer to him so that she could rest the side of her face against his chest, and his chin on her head. "That's more like it."

A silly giggle escaped her lips, which was then followed by a sound coming from Tony that told her he had just realized something he knew he should have noticed way before.

"Hey, Pepper?"

"Yeah?

"You said she's younger than you, right? Why is she taking senior-level courses with us?"

"Because she's _very_ smart. I mean, not quite _you_ smart, but still very smart."

"Oh."

"Yeah," she closed her eyes and sighed in contentment, his warmth making her feel safer than she could now ever feel at home. "She's always been the smart one of the family."

"Well," he slightly pulled away from her to face her, "I guess then that makes you the pretty one… who also happens to be smart."

She blinked multiple times as his words replayed in her head. And once Tony gave her his most charming smile, the poor redhead felt her face heat up.

"T-T-Ton-ny…"

"What?" he kept his nonchalant face and tone of voice despite how fast his heart was starting to beat. He knew that she was feeling very embarrassed at the moment, but the thought of having that effect on her made him fill up with a strange sense of pride… and something else that he had never felt before and could neither name nor describe.

"Uhm…" she gulped, stared him directly in the eye, and then closed her orbs again, almost instantly so, when she realized what he was about to do.

Her hands slowly slid up his arms until they reached his neck, clinging on to him as if her life depended on it, and so he did to her as well. Needless to say, he did not mind one bit, and he could have stayed there with her like that all day, had the school bell not just rung to let them know they were going to be late to class.

Screw getting detention again! The punishment did not matter to Tony as long as Pepper was going to be there by his side.

Unfortunately for him, only _one_ Potts was going to be in the same room with him after school for that… and it was not going to be the one that he had hoped it would be.

* * *

 **A/N:** Wondering where the update for _The Last Chronicle_ is? Well, I'm proud to say that this is not my fault XD MY part of the chapter is done. I'm waiting on my hubby to write the flashbacks scenes (he has a thing about the flashbacks for Doom and Whitney/Maya, I don't know what it is, something about "filling in the backstory," I dunno :P). Anyway, the plan is that he'll finish them at some point today and I'll post the new chapter. Plus, I am working on _Aftermath_ right now, too. If all goes well, the three main stories right now will get some love! And then once TLC is finished, I'll be turning my attention back to the others that are pending.

Thank you, my Faithful Readers! You make having to work to pay my electric and Internet bills all worth it! :D


	6. Chapter 5

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Guest: Yesssss! You updated! (By the way, same guest as before) It is so good! I have been checking for updates everyday since the 8th. Oh, I must know what happens! Thank you so much for writing this! And you updated so quickly! I've read fics where they update like once a month! Why will Tony be hanging out with Sam? I must know! Is Sam still an ass? Whatever happens Sam is not allowed to ruin my adorable Pepperony! You can't let her!** – HAHAHAHAAHA! Damn! Sam is so hated already, and she hasn't even done the horrible things she's gonna do! By the way, I am guilty of updating once a month… or once every three months :P But not to worry for this story, though. This one is so easy to write! Although, there will be cliffhangers… that I can't help myself :D Glad you liked it, and thank you so much for taking the time to review ^_^

 **Miss geek: First I love ur stories especially this one I already hate sam is that bad ? Anyhoo love ur username I love star she's my fav pls update this ASA u can thanks** **–** Nope, not bad at all! I think hating Sam is going to be a common trend around here. I don't hate her… much… yet… but I'll see how she ends up acting after a while. I do have some very specific things planned for her (such as the ending, which I already have written), but in the meantime… MUHAHAHAAH! XD Thanks for the review!

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

"Why do you call her: Pep?"

"Huh?"

Samantha rolled her eyes, leaned closer to his desk, and clarified her inquiry in a slightly higher whisper.

"My sister. Why do you call her that?"

"It's short for: Pepper," the inventor deadpanned, anger simmering in him towards the brunette. He _had_ recommended to Pepper to give her sister a chance, he _had_ stated that people changed, and that perhaps Samantha was _not_ as bad as she remembered her to be, but he still had a bone to pick with the young woman. While most of his advice for the ginger had been: a) what he honestly believed could take place between Sam and Pepper; and, b) meant to calm down his upset redhead, this did not mean that he was going to allow Samantha to go scot-free for belittling his girlfriend's abilities.

It was one thing for Samantha to assume that Pepper cheated off him just because of how smart he was – and how anyone could have potentially taken advantage of his intelligence to get good grades a la Happy Hogan. Yet, now that he knew that Samantha actually _knew_ Pepper, it was a completely different situation for him that the brunette had made the rude comment about Pepper's IQ.

While Samantha shared genes with the redhead, Tony firmly believed that there was no reason whatsoever to insult your own kin in the way Samantha had done so.

"I know that," the brunette scoffed at Tony's sarcastic response before tacking on one of her own. "Are you _sure_ you're a genius?"

Tony rolled his eyes at her and then shrugged.

"I don't know. It just came out once, and it stuck."

"Oh, I agree," Sam nodded. "It _does_ suck."

"What?" Tony was barely able to keep his voice down to avoid being heard by the in-school-suspension teacher that was partly dozing off at the front of the class. "I didn't say: _suck_! I said: _stuck_!"

"Oh," the girl's eyebrows rose. "Yeah… my bad."

Both teens returned to pretending they were not breaking the strict rules of detention when they noticed that the teacher had opened one eye to check up on them. However, as soon as light snores began coming from the teacher's desk once again, Tony was the one to ask the next question.

"Why did you lie?"

"Huh?" Samantha furrowed her brow.

"Why. Did. You. Lie."

"When did I lie?" she was taken aback.

"You know what I'm talking about," Tony narrowed his eyes.

"No. I don't."

"Yes. You do! You didn't tell me you were Pepper's sister!"

"And I never said that I wasn't."

"Lying by omission is still lying!"

"Then you lied to me, too."

"What? How? When?"

"You didn't tell me you were her boyfriend."

"Everybody knows that! Plus, _you_ didn't _ask_!"

"And _you_ didn't _ask_ if I was her sister, either."

"I-I-I…"

Tony held back a groan and further narrowed his eyes when the girl sitting next to him smirked in triumph.

"Fine!" he begrudgingly admitted. "But you knew who I was before I introduced myself. You could have said who you were right off the bat!"

"Well, I _was_ gonna do just that," she pulled away and crossed her arms over chest, in a manner that reminding him so much of Pepper, that it was way too unnerving to watch. "But you interrupted my introduction long enough during first period for the teacher to cut it short. And then, when I did say who I was at the beginning of Science class, you weren't even there! You were late for class!"

"I…" Tony's mouth opened and closed several times, but no words came out.

"And then, when we both had an off period, you were in detention."

"Uhm…"

"And then, during lunch, you were on the roof with her."

"Hey, how did you–"

"And the next period, you didn't even talk to me at all because you were gushing all over her!"

"But–"

"And then, we don't have class together again until the last period, and you spent it glaring at me the whole time!"

"I–"

"And now… NOW that we both have detention and you're finally talking to me again, you only do it to accuse me of something I didn't do!"

The staring contest between them did not last long; Samantha was the first to break eye contact, look away, and sigh.

"Besides, I didn't want people to talk to me or assume things of me just because I'm Pepper's sister. I wanted people to take interest in me because of who I am, and not because of who I know. I wanted people to like me because I am me: Samantha, and not from extrapolations or hypothesis based on my relationship with Pepper. I didn't want people to try to get to know me only because I'm Rescue's younger sister. That was all there was to it. I wasn't trying to hide or _lie_. I just wanted a fair chance to make friends. I know it sounds really stupid to you, but I don't expect someone like you to understand this at all. I mean: you're Tony Stark. You're practically a household name."

From the corner of his right eye, Tony stared at the now deflated teen, her glossy gaze evidence that she had made her peace with ending the argument at hand; no matter who won or who lost. There was not much else left to say, after all, and the genius resentfully agreed with the younger Potts's words. Most of his life, and sometimes even today, he was known to the masses simply because of the fame carried by his family. Furthermore, all while growing up, he had _always_ , without fail, been compared to his old man. It had not been until he had been found to be Iron Man after the Makluan Invasion that he had finally begun gaining some reputation of his own, given all he had done while his father had been presumed dead. Yet, even nowadays, it never failed for someone to still attribute his _genius-level intellect_ and his _charming_ _good looks_ to simply being a Stark.

To some of the most well-known and outspoken media outlets, it was as if Anthony Edward Stark could have never been who he was and what he was, on his own sweat, tears, blood, and hard work: he was just lucky. He was simply blessed. The stars had merely shone upon him since birth. He had done nothing worthy at all to deserve the best. In fact, as far as the media was concerned, Tony Stark had not earned all of what he owned and had.

Yes. He _did_ understand where Samantha was coming from. More than he would ever care to admit to her, in fact.

"Alright, kids. Time's up. Go home. I want to take another nap before I go to my second job."

The words of unprofessional dismissal coming from the indifferent teacher were loud and clear to the two _misbehaving_ teens, but neither of them cared enough to point out the obvious lack of dedication the man had to his line of work. They did not want to spend another minute inside this poorly lit and uncomfortable room, wasting time they knew could have been better spent doing something they actually loved to do.

Without further ado, both Tony and Sam silently stood up from their seats and walked in conjunction towards the door, only to then find a nail-biting Pepper Potts waiting for them outside, her detention having ended just mere seconds ago.

xxxXXXxxx

Her current situation was awkward as heck, to say the least, as she quietly trailed behind a babbling Pepper Potts and her silently regarding and always timely-nodding boyfriend, Tony Stark. However, said event did not at all mean that this opportunity was not one that she could take advantage of; one that she could not learn from, despite how much of her brain power it was taking to follow along with what was unfolding before her very eyes. The dynamics of the couple in front of her were rather odd – unlike anything she had ever personally witnessed, read about, or seen on TV. It was as if, for one quick second, the duo acted like nothing more than long-time buddies; only for the next second to show tender affection that clearly went beyond a simple close-knit friendship.

Were they really dating or were they faking it? Was it all just an elaborated ploy to remain on the first page of cheap, questionable tabloids? What the heck would Tony Stark possibly gain out of dating _her_?

Sam herself had very little experience in being part of a romantic relationship – most guys tended to initially talk to her merely due to her looks, only to then flee in panic due to her smarts. It was as if she was fated to be misunderstood and alone her entire life, while her sister – her far less intelligent and not as beautiful older sister – got to parade around the block while being side-hugged by Tony _freaking_ Stark.

She was well aware that the concept of fairness was nothing more than a man-made fallacy – something that did not exist in nature at all. However, at this very moment, when she once again watched Tony smile fondly at her sister before he playfully tapped her nose with his left index finger to make her stop talking long enough for him to get two words out, the concept of unfairness was beginning to have quite the tangible meaning for her.

Yup. It definitely was _not_ fair that someone like Pepper had someone like Tony by her side. This just _had_ to be a temporary fling – a lucky alignment of the stars. Not that Sam was much into astrology or pseudo-science per se, but there was simply no other logical explanation for what she was beholding at the moment. Why in the world would the brightest young male mind on the entire planet give a flying carrot about last night's events in _Breakdancing with Celebrities_?

"Say whatever you want, Pep," Tony smirked and half shrugged. "I still think you're gonna owe me five bucks tomorrow."

"Puh-lease," Pepper rolled her eyes and tried to dismiss his confidence with a wave of her right hand, their worries of the morning almost completely gone from her mind. "You're taking bets on the wrong contestant. Lara is _totally_ gonna win this round! I just know it! I can feel it! You'll be eating your words tonight, Stark!"

"We'll see," the inventor's smirk did not falter despite his girlfriend's attempts at breaking his self-assurance. "I still think you ought to be piling up all of your bus tokens to exchange them for quarters tonight."

"Whatever, Tony," Pepper chuckled. "Win or lose, what do you care anyway? Five bucks doesn't even register as pocket change for _you_."

"It's obviously not about the money, Pepper," Tony immediately replied. "It's about my pride."

"Your pride is worth five dollars?" Pepper's eyebrows rose in a mocking manner that matched her jesting tone of voice. "I can definitely afford that. That's good to know."

"Ha-ha, very funny, Pep," Tony bobbed his head from side to side with his sarcastic retort. "If you're so confident Lara's gonna win, why don't we raise the stakes, then?"

"Ah-what?" Pepper's head recoiled and her eyes opened wide to stare at an arrogant-looking inventor staring right back at her.

"What? Not really interested? Doubting, all of a sudden? Or are you… I don't know, maybe…" he paused for effect before leaning his head closer to hers, never breaking eye contact or their trek, and then whispered the last of his words. "Scared, Potts?"

Her shaking head immediately said: no. But her eyes clearly said: yes.

"Huh," Tony suspiciously narrowed his eyes at her. "I think you _are_ scared, Pep. Actually, I _know_ you are."

"N-no!" Pepper shook her head fervently. "I-I-I'm not scared!"

"Prove it."

"How?" the ginger asked after a gulp, pushing away her fear of losing in favor of heeding her need to never back down from a dare. "Wanna make it ten bucks?"

"No."

"Fifteen?"

"Nope."

"Twenty?" the redhead asked in a high-pitched tone, her hands starting to sweat. She had been saving that money for a very specific reason. She would hate to lose it overnight to a stupid bet with the person that was the cause of her saving her money in the first place.

"No. Not money. Let's bet something… _else_."

"Something else? Like what?" Pepper furrowed her brow.

Tony smiled deviously at his redhead, opened his mouth to retort, but then snapped it shut when he remembered that they were not alone. Samantha noticed his hesitation, rolled her eyes at him, and then picked up her pace to reach the door to her home's apartment complex before they did.

"I don't think I want to know," Sam added as she opened the front door of the building to leave Tony and Pepper standing right outside of it.

"Nope," Tony agreed, his hands grabbing onto Pepper's to keep the ginger in place in front of him. "You really don't."

"Whatever, Stark," Sam said with a shake of her head before she stomped her way inside the entrance hall and slammed the door shut behind her.

The inventor waited a few seconds to allow for the brunette to be out of earshot before he returned his attention to the overly curious redhead, both unaware that Sam was watching them from behind a tinted window positioned by the landing towards the second floor of the complex. Their voices were muffled behind the wall and glass, but Sam did not have to hear a thing to understand what was happening between them.

Or, at the very least, she was easily able to infer the intimacy of their conversation by how they were behaving at the moment.

It was not the best angle to observe them, but it was good enough to see fretfulness in Pepper's face as Tony took his time to relay to her the new terms of their bet. The redhead kept tugging at his hands while he chuckled at her desperate face, clearly enjoying how much she was dying to know what he had in mind. Nearly a minute went by of this tedious dance of "Tell me," and "Not yet," until Tony's face finally changed.

Their eyes locked on each other. The genius's head slowly leaned in towards Pepper's face, and just when Samantha thought she would have to poke her eyes out with pencils at watching them kiss, the inventor did something she had not expected to see.

The blue-eyed boy's lips went past her mouth and straight up to Pepper's right ear, giving Samantha a clear view of her sister's face – and of how red it turned after Tony finished whispering into her ear whatever idea he had come up with for their bet. The hero slowly pulled back from his girlfriend's impossibly flustered face and winked at her, only to watch Pepper's jaw fall and her cheeks burn even more than before.

At first glance, it appeared as if whatever suggestion Tony had made was going to be refuted by the girl. But after a minute or so, once her cheeks were not as rosy, Pepper lowered her gaze, nodded a couple of times, and missed the moment when Tony's face filled with shocking disbelief. He composed quickly, however, and by the time Pepper returned her eyes to him, he was smiling proudly at what he had done.

Knowing what was going to happen next, and not wanting to see it for herself, Samantha Potts turned around in place and sped up the stairs to go home and lock herself in her room.

It truly was not fair.

Something _had_ to be done.


	7. Chapter 6

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thank you for the follows/favorites:** _IMMA-L0V3R_ and _Vir Jequis_.

 **Kaitrin: Amazing ! I love your writing it's just so perfectly put together and this chapter was so exciting and mysterious update soon xxx** – Thank you very much! I hope you like this chapter too :D

 **Danika: Why won't you update ? I need another chapter** – LOL! I'm kinda scared that, as I am about to update, I get your review asking why I haven't updated. Are you stalking me?! :P Just kidding! I usually have time to update only during the weekends, so here's the update for this week.

 **A/N:** Speaking of updates, I am sorry to say that I actually don't know when I will be updating this story again. This weekly update of three stories is taking a toll on me (and my professional career, too). There are some very important projects I need to do at work starting next week and all throughout the summer, and I don't anticipate having much time to update the so many stories I have pending. I kinda backed myself into a corner, I know that. But in the interest of giving you GOOD updates rather than just AN update, I'll go back to working on TLC only, whenever I can, and then once that's finally done, I can turn my attention back to the other pending stories. Sorry about that :( But hopefully, you understand that sometimes life just sucks the glory out of everything!

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

She tiptoed her way out of the restroom, textbooks in her arms, and then pressed her back against the wall. She narrowed her eyes, looked left and right, and then briefly lifted her sunglasses from her nose. The pair of shades was so dark that it made it difficult to move around without a hitch, and multiple times she had already slammed into someone's back while trying to keep her presence from being noticed by those she was trying to avoid. So far, her plan and actions were working wonders. But once Science class came around…

 _Don't think about it_ , Pepper told herself with determination. _Tony won't notice you sitting somewhere else._

Yeah. Right.

She returned the sunglasses to the bridge of her nose and then began sliding her way towards the corner of the hall, her back and right arm pressed firmly against the line of lockers, her left arm holding onto her books. She took slow, overly cautious steps, stopping only when she reached the end of the wall. Once there, she barely peeked her head around the corner to make sure the coast was clear. She repeated the motion two more times before she finally walked around the corner, stopped for a moment to lift the sunglasses and get a better look at her surroundings, and as she was about to return the shades to her face, a call for her name made her throw her arms in the air instead.

"Hey, Pepper!"

"AAAHHH!"

Her thick textbooks flew out of her left arm; one landing above the locker to her right, the other ending up opened face-down by her feet. Her sunglasses ended up askew on her face, and she landed on her knees on the floor.

"What the heck, Rhodey?! Would you stop doing that?"

"Saying _hi_ to you?"

"Sneaking up on me, you doofus!"

"Looked in a mirror, lately?" Rhodey replied with a snort, his right hand gesturing towards her awkward position on the floor, before he then reached over the locker where her book had landed and collected it for her.

"Hey! It's Funny's cousin: _Not_ Funny," Pepper replied with dripping sarcasm as she stood up from the floor, her other textbook already in her hand.

"Hey! It's Princess Inconspicuous' cousin: Totally-failing-at-hiding."

"Give me that!" the ginger growled as she snatched her second textbook from Rhodey's hand.

"Seriously, Pepper," Rhodey leaned his hip against the lockers to the right, "Why are you acting all weird… - _er_ than usual? You in trouble?"

"No. I'm fine. I just… I… I…"

"Tony was looking for you this morning. He waited for you by your locker until he was almost late for class. Where were you?"

"Uhm," she gulped.

Rhodey narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you hiding from Tony again?"

"No," her eyes shifted left and right and she gnawed on her bottom lip.

"Is this because you lost the bet?"

Instead of replying, Pepper's head snapped up, her eyes wide behind her sunglasses, her mouth hung. Before she could look away or control herself, her face became a beacon of embarrassment, making Rhodey's head recoil in response.

"How-how do you know-know about that?!"

"About the bet? He told me. He was all smug about it this morning. How much money did you lose?"

"W-what?"

"Money. How much did you guys bet?"

"Uhm…" Pepper pulled on her collar when she felt her entire head heat up even more. "I-I… I…"

Rhodey arched a single brow, tilted his head to the left, and then leaned closer to the redhead's face.

"Pepper: you guys didn't bet any money, did you?"

"Uhm…"

"Huh," Rhodey smirked and pulled away. "What was it?"

"Nothing."

"Right. Then why are you all uncomfortable and flustered?"

"I AM NOT!"

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are! You even hid from Tony!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Oh, really?"

"Really?"

"Oh, OK," Rhodey said with a shrug, looked over Pepper's head, and then waved his right hand. "Hey, T! What's up?"

"EEEP!" Pepper immediately turned around in place, more than just a little bit _not_ ready to speak to Tony, but she was then surprised to find that there was no one behind her.

"Oh, nuts!" Rhodey's laughs made Pepper groan in anger. "This is priceless!"

"Shut up, Rhodey! That's not funny!"

"It is from where I'm standing! Besides, you can't avoid him all day. We have class together. What are you planning to do then? Use your sunglasses to throw him off?"

"I HAVE A WIG!"

"Oh," Rhodey nodded a few times. "Pardon me: you have _a wig_. That solves it all."

"Yes. It does. It really does!"

"Sure. Sure," Rhodey rubbed his chin with his left hand. "But tell me, Pepper. What are you gonna do when Professor Klein takes roll?"

"Aw, _man_!"

Great.

Now she _really_ had to find a place to hide.

xxxXXXxxx

Rhodey had brought up a good point: disguises were not going to work if she had to let her teachers know she was present during class. Going to detention again was not an option she wanted to pursue, either, lest her father got called about her having to stay after school twice in a row. Then again, her father knew that she was having a very difficult time adjusting to Samantha's presence and with the idea of her living with them for who-knew-how-long – perhaps forever. It was somewhat possible that he would _maybe_ understand her unusual misbehaving at school.

 _But what about prom?_ _What if I get grounded and can't go?_

Senior Prom happened only once in a lifetime. She could not risk not attending it simply because her sister was in town… even if she had nothing to do with her current predicament, or with the reason why she was trying to hide.

Pepper looked left, right, and then whistled loudly as her hand slowly landed on the handle of her favorite closet. She continued to stand there for a moment, pretending to innocently look at the ceiling and then at the floor, before she finally pulled the door opened and rushed inside. It was as dark and cramped as she remembered it to be the day before, and while she now knew the small storage room did not lock from the outside, this was the only place she could think of being at the moment – at least until she could order her thoughts.

 _Why did I agree to that stupid bet? Why? WHY?!_

Then again, just as yesterday, she was not sure why she was even asking herself this; she actually _knew_ why she had said yes to his suggestion: a) she had not been thinking straight; and, b) she did actually _want_ to do what Tony had proposed. It was a huge leap for them, of that much she was sure. But she would be lying to herself if she were to deny that the idea had not already crossed her mind, at least once. How would it not be anticipated, anyway? They were both legal adults, but also still teenagers, who happened to be dating and were in love. The execution of Tony's idea was to be expected of them at some point in time.

 _Wait, what?_ Her eyes opened wide and she covered her mouth with her right palm. _Did I just say that_ _ **we**_ _'re in love? Tony doesn't feel_ _ **that**_ _way about me, yet… right?_

"Hey there, Pep!"

"AAAAHHH!"

This time, more than just books were scattered all over the place, and a few of the cleaning items fell from their shelves to fall on the twosome's heads.

"UGH!" they said in unison.

"WHAT THE HECK?!" Pepper snapped after removing a bucket from her head, unable to see anything in the darkness of the storage room, but not needing any lights whatsoever to know who was standing behind her.

"Whoa! It's just me, Pep. Relax."

"I _KNOW_ IT'S YOU!" the redhead swatted the air around her, managing to hit Tony in the face while searching for his exact location.

"Ouch, Pepper!" the genius grabbed her hand in his to stop her prodding. "That was my eye!"

" _What_ are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" Tony managed to find her other hand and held them both in his, his thumbs rubbing her knuckles to bring some comfort to the startled girl. "Rhodey texted me that you were trying to hide from me again. I figured you'd land here eventually."

"AND YOU DIDN'T FIGURE I WANTED TO BE LEFT ALONE?!"

Instead of immediately responding, Tony slowly pulled his hands away from hers, leaving the redhead feeling full of guilt and regret. The blue-eyed boy then swallowed hard, awkwardly scratched the back of his neck with his left hand, and then cleared his throat.

"I… I-I thought I'd help, Pep. I… our bet. This is about the bet, isn't?"

"I…" she sighed and her head hung; an uncomfortable silence being the only sound between them until Tony spoke once more.

"Pepper, I don't… if you… you-you can say: no."

Now that she had been in the dark for a while, Pepper's eyes had had an opportunity to adjust. She lifted her head, stared into whatever she could see of Tony's features, and saw a mix of hurt, disappointment and fear on his face.

"Tony," her right palm landed on his left upper arm. "I-I don't mind. Really. I'm just… I'm just…"

"Scared," they both said, at the same time.

"I…" Tony exhaled deeply. "I am too. I… honestly, Pep, I was just trying to get a rise out of you when I said it. But then, you-you said yes and I… a part of me is curious, you know? I wonder if it would be different. I guess… I guess part of me thought I was joking around. But another part of me wouldn't mind doing that… with _you_."

"Tony, I… it shouldn't be a big deal. I know that. Because… because we already do… that… kinda… but…"

"We would be alone."

"At night," she added.

"In my room."

"And I've never been to your room…"

"Alone," he finished her sentence for her.

"And at night," they both said.

Another moment of silence followed their unison response; one that was once again broken by the genius boy.

"I mean it, Pepper. It was meant to be a joke. And it can stay a joke, if you want."

Rather than replying with words, Pepper opted to circle Tony's waist with her arms and pressed the left side of her head against his chest. She closed her eyes, tightened her hold on him, and then felt the inventor reciprocate the act. He closed his eyes as well while they remained in each other's arms and in silence, sighing in contentment at being able to somewhat settle things with her without so much as a hitch. Throughout the months he and Pepper had been dating, there had been only a couple of minor misunderstandings between them; most of their romantic relationship had been smooth sailing. Nevertheless, in the nearly two days that Samantha Potts had been in their lives, he and his girlfriend had been having more issues back to back than they had ever had in the entire time they had known each other.

Tony was not so much concerned about the issues themselves – he knew all couples fought every once in a while. What worried him, however, was the influence that Samantha's presence had on the ginger's everyday life. There was only so much that he could do for her, he knew; and it irritated him that there was nothing he could do for his girlfriend other than listening to her worries, physically comforting her whenever possible, and providing verbal advice on a topic he knew nothing about – that there was absolutely nothing that his looks, riches, and know-how could do to keep Pepper from being affected by the consequences of having an estranged sister suddenly pop up in her life.

Then again, as Rhodey had pointed out to him this morning when Tony had shared with his friend that he thought Pepper was unfoundedly concerned that Samantha spoke science and she did not, showing to Pepper that she was still the only girl the he wanted to be with was the best thing the genius could do to ease his girlfriend's fears.

" _But it's dumb, Rhodey," Tony rolled his eyes. "It should be obvious that science talk is not enough to catch my attention. If that were the case, then I'd be in love with Professor Klein or Dr. Richards. Why would she even worry about that?"_

" _What would you say if Pepper met someone who loves Rescue, S.H.I.E.L.D., the FBI, and_ _ **Breakdancing with Celebrities**_ _as much as she does?"_

" _Cool? Good for her? It's nice for her to have another girl to share this with?" Tony shrugged._

" _What if this person was a guy?"_

" _A guy? Why does it have to be a guy?"_

" _And what if this guy came to school here?"_

" _Why would he go to school here?"_

" _And what if she could share with him all the things that you just won't ever understand?"_

" _Why would he… why would she… uhm… but I… uh… huh… oh."_

" _Yeah. Oh."_

"I'll think about it, Tony," her sudden statement did not make much sense to him.

"What?"

"The bet," she rested her chin on his chest. "I'll think about it."

"Really?" his eyes opened wide as he looked down at her.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Really."

"I… I'd like that, Pep," he returned the smile. "I'd like that very much."

"I'm sorry about hiding from you."

"You shouldn't be sorry for what you weren't able to do," he teased her and she scoffed, his face then turning serious once again. "But, really, Pep. When it comes to us… to anything about us, just… let me know, alright? Be upfront to me about it. I care about it. I care about us. A lot."

"I care about us a lot, too."

"Good," he smiled. "Does that mean we'll go up to the roof during our off period?"

"You bet you will."

"I surely do! What do you want to bet?"

"Huh?" Pepper furrowed her brow for the quick moment it took her for her to realize what Tony had meant. "Ugh! Stop it!"

"Sorry," he chuckled. "Couldn't resist."

"I bet you didn't," she rolled her eyes before she flinched. "Dang it!"

"Hahaha!" Tony threw his head back in laugher. "You're killing me, babe!"

"I, uhm, a-w-what?"

"I said: you're killing me."

"Babe?"

"Huh?" his head recoiled and his eyes narrowed in confusion, just seconds before he realized what the girl was talking about. "Uhm… I… I-I'm sorry… I–"

"It's OK," she smiled, placed her right palm on his cheek, and then stood on her tiptoes to whisper near his face. "I like it."

"I…" he swallowed hard when a strange yet somewhat familiar feeling forming at the pit of his stomach made his heartbeat increase at feeling her so close to him. "I-I-I like it, too."

"Good," Pepper replied before she pressed her lips against his, leaving him in so much awe that he nearly, but just nearly, missed the ring of the warning bell.

Oh, darn it all! It was going to be the longest morning ever for him, waiting to be alone with her once more.


	8. Chapter 7

**Guest Review Responses**

 **RosalineXverseli: Amazing chapter once again ;) I just wish you could update sooner as I'm waay to into this ;) and I'm sure it would be more popular if you updated more please ?** – Me too! I really love this story, and I can't wait to get to the end (I love the end I have planned for it). Sorry I can't update as often as I used to. Life's kicking my butt.

 **Guest: Yes! The bitch is so jealous! She doesn't deserve to have what Pepper has because she wants to break Pepperony up!** – LOL! I think the bitch is gonna get even more hate with this chapter! XD But worry not, my Faithful Reader! Our Pepperony is strong!

 **A/N:** Sorry about the delays, my Faithful Readers! I've been working 12-hour days (No, seriously! That's actually a thing!). Today's physical therapy was GREAT, though! Enough to have me whip out this chappie for you. I might be able to sleep using a pillow tonight, too! It's a win-win scenario! But, we all win in different ways, so it's really a win-win-win-win… and maybe one more win.

Don't forget to review!

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

The _nerve_ of some people!

How dare the students of the Tomorrow Academy tell her where she could and could not go during her off period? How dare these people she did not even know assume they had any right to tell her how she should behave or what she should do? What kind of distorted reality did they live in? Did they actually believe she owed anyone any space? Did they actually expect _her_ to abide by their stupid unwritten rules? What a load of crud! This was America, for goodness sake! If she wanted to go up to the roof to talk to Tony Stark during their common off period, she darn well would!

Samantha Alexa Potts was on a mission: a mission to save Tony Stark from her own sister; the same sister that had kept her from being able to have a partner during Physics class because the number of students had been uneven with her redheaded presence, and also due to the fact that, as Professor Klein had stated, Samantha could do the work _on her own_. It was _Pepper_ 's fault that _she_ had been forced to spend the entire class sitting by herself, alone in a corner, being a worse outcast than she had ever been while back at home.

In Samantha's mind, Pepper had no business taking a Physics class; and she also had no business dating the genius that was Anthony Edward Stark.

 _What does he even_ _ **see**_ _in her?_

Samantha's hand landed on the doorknob to the roof access door, and she then took in a deep breath to calm her nerves.

 _It_ _ **can't**_ _be her brain! She has none!_

It could not even be her body, or so Samantha believed. As far as she was concerned, Pepper did not have enough curves to catch anyone's attention – no matter how drunk the person was.

 _She doesn't even wear girl clothes!_

Truthfully, and if anger had not been blinding her usual judgment and logic, she would have admitted that she was not being exactly fair regarding her older sister's attributes. While Pepper's IQ was far below her own, when the redhead became obsessed with something, her focus on being the best at it was unshakeable. As for her body: while lacking the girl-next-door figure Samantha herself had, Pepper did possess what could be considered shapely hips. While not seen due to her long shirt, the leggings she wore probably made her butt look good too, by the standard a normal guy would judge.

 _But it doesn't matter! Tony's not a normal guy. And she's still nothing special!_

The brunette narrowed her eyes and inhaled sharply, dreading to an extreme level the indecorous scene she expected that awaited her behind the door once she pushed it open. Everyone had told her that the roof was off-limits during fourth period and lunch time because _Iron Man and Rescue hung out there_ , but she just had not cared enough to stay away. If swapping saliva and groping was all that was keeping Tony engrossed with Pepper, then limiting the opportunities for this to take place would surely strain their relationship. It was Sam's belief that, given enough time, once the thrill of the physical aspect of the romantic relationship came to a halt, that Tony would finally realize he was wasting his time with her.

Yes. This was Samantha's infallible plan: get in the way of Tony and Pepper every time they were alone, and not stop until the inventor realized what he was missing out by dating the wrong Potts sister.

 _He's still a man_. _If he doesn't get what he wants from her, he'll look for it somewhere else._

And Samantha Potts was ready, willing, and able to satisfy the genius's needs; whatever they were. She could do it all, anyway. She had the brains _and_ the body.

She stomped her right foot on the floor with ultimate determination and overconfidence before she finally opened the door to the roof to find the most famous couple in the Tomorrow Academy doing something she had not predicted they would be engaging in, given the plenty of detailed warnings she had received on her way here. Contrary to popular belief, Tony Stark and Pepper Potts were not kissing, hugging, or even wearing their regular clothes while up here right now.

No. Presently, there was definitely no making out taking place on the roof.

At the moment, the genius and the ginger were actually – and quite surprisingly, in fact – very busy _sparring_.

 _What… the… heck?_

To Samantha's shock, Tony Stark was currently wearing workout shorts, tennis shoes, _and_ he was also shirt _less_. Pepper, on the other hand, was wearing a sports bra, running shoes, and a skort; her hair held in a tiny ponytail, and her midriff exposed. Samantha was not sure what astonished her most of the scene: the fact that Tony was ripped, or the fact that Pepper had clearly-defined yet feminine muscle marks on her arms, stomach and legs.

So much for her belief that Pepper was not attractive! The ginger's body – while less curvy – was way more toned and firmer than her own. And Tony had way more muscle than a boy of his intellect would ever care to have. The couple was not into bodybuilding, by any extent of the imagination, but it was clear to her that staying in shape was somewhat important to them.

The still dumbfounded girl barely had any more time to continue processing the unexpectedness of the scene or to decide whose appearance to be the most shocked by when she witnessed what was to come.

Tony threw a punch towards Pepper's face, but the redhead blocked it with no problem by using her left arm. She responded to the attack by upper-cutting Tony's solar plexus, and even though she did land her punch, Tony simply smiled. His left hand then circled her right wrist while it was still near his torso, and then used it as leverage to twist Pepper where she stood, his left arm now cutting circulation in her neck. The redhead groaned when she felt her shoulder being pulled with too much force, but she did not falter in her counterstrike. Instead, she bent her body back and then forward with enough force to flip Tony over her and sent him to fly away. Tony, however, quickly recovered from the move, turned around in place, and then ran back towards her. Just a few feet away from finally reaching her, Tony closed the distance between them by throwing a roundhouse kick against the ginger, but Pepper simply ducked out of the way. Expecting this to happen, Tony twisted in the air one more time so that he landed in a position that allowed him to pivot on the ground and used his left leg to swipe Pepper's feet.

With a grunt of pain, Pepper fell to the ground on her back, cursed under breath, and then used her feet to push an incoming Tony away from her. The genius cartwheeled his way back to his feet while Pepper lifted her legs in the air and pushed herself to a standing position by using the strength of her arms bent behind her head and the angle of her back. A nanosecond later, the two teenagers were at it again, holding back very little, and stopping only when Samantha finally found her voice once more.

" _What_ is going on here?"

"Sam?"

Pepper's distraction almost cost her the round when Tony took advantage of the diversion to swipe her legs again, harder than before, and left her to fall on her back for a second time; this time, however, without giving her the opportunity to prevent the painful after-effects of the move.

"Ugh!"

"Eyes on the prize, Potts," Tony said in an almost angry tone and with narrowed eyes before he offered her a helping hand.

"Same to you!" the redhead responded as he grabbed his hand, and then used it and her legs to propel him in the air. The genius, not expecting her to attempt a last-ditch effort to win the match, ended up quickly mimicking her position on the ground, face up.

"Crap," Tony said in between deep breaths and slammed his right fist against the ground. "Can't believe I fell… for that."

"Yay for me," she replied, her breathing also ragged, before she bent her right arm and wiggled the fingers in her hand towards him. "Tie?"

"Yeah," he nodded and clasped his hand with hers. "Tie."

After a satisfied smile graced her features, Pepper began standing up from the floor. Tony was up before she was, however, and then surprised her by pulling her up by her right arm, tackling her waist and legs, and then throwing her over his right shoulder before beginning to rapidly spin in place.

"Tony, no!" Pepper slammed her fists against his back. "Put me down!"

"Say I won and I will!" the genius replied, chuckling as much as his girlfriend was.

"We said it was a tie!"

"Changed my mind," Tony said.

"Cheater!" Pepper stopped hitting his back.

"Say it!"

"CHEATER!" she pouted.

"SAY. IT!" the genius picked up his speed.

"AH!" Pepper closed her eyes, dizziness starting to creep up on her. "Fine! _Fine_! You win! _You_ win!"

"Heck yeah, I do!" Tony cheered before he suddenly stopped. He then maneuvered his position so that Pepper was no longer on his shoulder but in his arms, and he then slowly placed her feet back on the ground.

"You stink, Stark!"

"You too, Potts," he winked and then began walking away from her.

Samantha's eyes alternated between staring at Tony and at Pepper, both of which busied themselves walking to opposite sides of the roof. When they finally met again in the middle, Tony gave Pepper a towel, and Pepper gave Tony the bottle of water she had just drunk from.

"Hey, Samantha," Tony said after he finished drinking the entire contents of the water bottle and then began patting his face dry with a towel. "What brings you up here?"

"Uhm," Sam swallowed hard, her gaze admiring the genius' flexed arms. "I-I… uhm… what… what is happening here?"

Pepper was too busy pressing the towel against her face and neck and catching oxygen to immediately reply.

"What do you mean?" Tony frowned. "You… you _do_ know what we are, right?"

"Crazy?" Sam's high-pitched response was accompanied by a shrug that caused Tony to roll his eyes.

"Iron Man?" he pointed both hands towards himself and then his right thumb towards Pepper. "Rescue?"

"So?" Sam shook her head.

"We were training," Pepper replied.

"For what?"

"Superhero business, of course," the redhead shrugged.

"But," Samantha took a few steps towards the couple, "You have suits. High-tech suits. What do you need to train for?"

"The armors are only as good as the pilots inside," Tony reasoned. "Plus, we don't always have them available. We need to be able to fight without them, too."

"Really?" Samantha arched a single brow. "How often does that even happen?"

"More than you'd think," Pepper responded.

"More than it should," Tony added, his eyes briefly staring towards Stark International before he shook his head. "Anyway, need something?"

"I-uhm… I-I came to… hang out? I was told I could find you here."

"Oh," Tony was taken aback. "Yeah, I…" he stole a glance at Pepper. " _We_ usually spend our off period here. Alone."

"Mind if I join?" Sam clasped her hands under her chin and batted her eyes at the genius. "I have nowhere else to go. And I really don't know anyone, and I– _Please_?"

"Uhm…" the inventor pursed his lips, stared at his girlfriend, and watched her shrug. His eyes then returned to Samantha's blue ones, her expression eerily similar to Pepper's when she was trying really hard to convince him to agree to something he had initially declined to do, and then sighed.

On the one hand, he did not want to give up his time with Pepper – spending time here with her, doing whatever they felt like doing, was the highlight of his day at school. On the other hand, he also wanted Pepper to try to patch things up with her sister, if only so that the redhead was comfortable and happy at home. He was selfish enough to not want to trade in his time with his girlfriend for the sake of family reconnection, but he also cared enough about Pepper to put her general comfort over his wants and needs.

Besides, how long would it take to call a truce between siblings? Surely no more than a couple of weeks, max? He could share his off period with Pepper and with Samantha while the magic happened. He could surely be present here to speed things up, too.

"Sure," Tony shrugged.

"Really?" Samantha asked.

"Yeah, really. But only if you promise to tell me embarrassing childhood stories about Pepper."

"What?!" Pepper almost dropped her gym bag.

"Kidding, Pep," Tony raised his hands on either side of his head in a defensive gesture. "But not really."

"TONY!"

"Oh, I have plenty of those!" Sam snickered. "Remember the time, Pepper, when you thought it was a good idea to pretend you were a boy to try to sneak into CSI Camp?"

"You, what?" Tony chuckled and walked up to his redhead. "You really did that, babe?"

Samantha felt her right eye twitch at hearing the term of endearment coming from Tony and aimed at Pepper, but she held back a verbal reaction to it. It was a better use of her time to inform the genius of the weird girlfriend he had, than to expend energy showing how much it really bothered her that Tony appeared to be smitten with the redheaded girl.

"Yes! Can you believe that? Who does that, huh?"

"Pepper, for sure," Tony said and brushed Pepper's reddened face with his thumb.

"Right," Samantha bit her bottom lip, inhaled deeply, and then turned around in place to stare at the flustered redhead being closely watched by the blue-eyed boy. "The real problem here is, though, that camp is over and Pepper is still pretending to be a boy. You can cut the act now, Pepper. Stop acting like a boy! You're not that much cuter as a guy!"

"Why you–"

Pepper's retort was suddenly stopped by Tony's hold on her face getting stronger, forcing her to face the smirking inventor looking down at her.

"She's right, Pep. You need to cut the act."

"W-what?" Pepper's mouth fell, along with her heart, at hearing Tony take part in the teasing. It was one thing to hear Samantha taking jabs at her, and it was another to hear her boy genius crack a joke at her expense – especially if it also came with the added bonus of somehow siding with her sister's opinions of her.

"Really, Pepper. You need to stop playing the boy part," Tony's smile widened. "Only one of us is supposed to be the handsome one. I can't keep competing with you. I'll lose."

It took the two girls a moment to understand what Tony had just all but heavily implied; and once it dawned on Samantha that her attempt at getting in the way of them had backfired completely, she had to keep herself from showing the rising anger that her failed plan caused.

"Tony," Pepper's gaze fell, her cheeks turning red again.

"What?" he shrugged. "You know how pretty I think you are, right?"

 _Pretty?!_ Samantha could feel the big vein on her forehead threatening to pop. _He thinks she's pretty?!_

"Anyway," Tony grabbed Pepper's hand and began pulling the stunned girl with him towards the door, "We'll see you next class, Sam. We gotta go."

"Huh?" Samantha blinked several times. "Go? Go, where?"

"Shower," he replied.

"Together?" Sam's squeaky response was out before she had a chance to determine its unintentional meaning; and Tony's face suddenly matched his girlfriend's hair.

"NO!" his eyes grew wide and both he and Pepper violently shook their heads from side to side.

"Riiiight," Sam arched a single eyebrow and rested her right fist on her hip.

"We're NOT showering together!" Pepper spat. "We're using the boys' locker… and the girls' locker… and not at the same time!"

"Mmhmm," Samantha side-smirked, opting to use the present opening to at least get a partial victory out of embarrassing them. "Yeah. Separate. Sure. I totally believe it," she added with an exaggerate wink of her right eye and a tone of disbelief in her voice.

"WE ARE!" both Tony and Pepper said in unison.

"Uh-huh," Samantha crossed her arms over her chest. "Of course. No doubts here. But, what are you waiting for? Go have fun, you two. I'll be here when you come back."

A defeated sigh and a hung head were their only mutual replies before they dragged their feet back into the roof access room, steam practically coming out of their ears.

Why, yes, she _would_ be here when they came back.


	9. Chapter 8

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thank you for the favorites/follows:** _Taiski_.

 **Venessa: Update ? –** YES! I'm taking a day off work, so I here I am! Hope you like it!

 **Silvia 0 rai: really talented! One of my favourite pepperony writers keep updating I need to know what happens next ! Hope your okay !;)xxx** – Awww, thank you! :D The next few chapters are going to be diabetic-comma inducing. In other words: too sweet!

 **Guest: Write more, please? Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top? I want more adorable Pepperony fluff! You are so good at writing it! Just write Pepperony fluff and have Sam fall off the roof. Or be hit by a bus. Or just die in any way shape or form. Please?** – HAHAHAHA! Funny you mention roof… because, well… Sam's end will happen on the roof… but not in that way… and not yet ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

"Dad?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Do you like Tony Stark? I mean: are you OK with Pepper dating him?"

Virgil Potts spared his daughter a quick, curious glance, just to make sure that it was Samantha and not Pepper asking the odd question, and he then returned his attention to the morning paper in his hands.

"Not that it matters if I didn't, but yes: I do approve of her dating him."

"What do you mean: _it doesn't matter if you didn't_?" the tone of utter disapproval was evident in Samantha's voice, even more so than the fact that she was yet to touch the cereal in her bowl.

"Pepper's an adult, Sam," her father reminded her. "She can make her own decisions now."

"Even bad ones?" Samantha's head recoiled. "You're just gonna let her make awful decisions?"

Virgil, not fazed at all by the girl's questioning, simply shrugged.

"Really, Dad?" the young woman slammed her palms against the table. "Tony Stark is a rich boy! A superhero! One that is always in danger! You know what I caught them doing at school yesterday?"

"What?" Virgil asked, successfully hiding a tiny sense of dread from showing in his voice.

"Sparring!" Samantha threw her arms in the air. "They were fighting! Punching! Kicking! Like, actually fighting!"

"Training," Virgil corrected the girl. "It's called: training. I've seen them do that on roof here, too."

"And you're OK with that? You're OK with a boy… a _man_ , since Tony's also an adult, beating Pepper up?"

Virgil scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Tony Stark wouldn't beat up your sister, Sam."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes."

"But, he's still stronger than she is. What if he tried to–"

" _If_ he tried to," Virgil set down his newspaper on the table, "Pepper would fight back as much as she could. _And_ , he _knows_ that afterward, I'd stop at his doorstep with a shotgun."

"And what would a shotgun do against his suit of armor, Dad?"

Whatever retort Virgil was about to give was interrupted by the front door of the apartment suddenly opening to reveal a wide-awake Pepper Potts.

"Morning, Dad!" the redhead chirped as she closed and locked the door behind her.

"Morning, sweetheart," the man replied with a smile that widened when his oldest daughter placed a box of warm donuts and a cup of steamy coffee before him on the table. "Long night?"

"A tad," Pepper said with a shrug before her eyes briefly landed on the brunette glaring at her. "Would've been longer if all three of us hadn't gone out together."

"The _three_ of you? _Where_ were you?" Samantha crossed her arms over her chest.

"Team Iron Man mission," Pepper replied.

"In pajamas?" Sam pointed towards her sister's outfit.

"Of course not," the ginger replied before she pressed the center of her backpack to let it envelop her in her Rescue persona. She allowed the suit to stay on her for only a few seconds to allow Samantha's jaw to drop at seeing the armor up close, and she then retracted it to walk over to the refrigerator and pour herself a glass of milk.

"A mission. On a Saturday. It's not even 7 AM!"

"Crime has no curfew," Pepper responded.

"But you do!" Samantha narrowed her eyes.

"No, she doesn't," Virgil said in between bites of the donut in his hands before he stared at the redhead. "Everything OK, I guess? No major injuries?"

"None," Pepper snatched one of the donuts and took a large bite out of it, "And before I forget: Mr. Stark wants to know if you're still interested in going with him to the Yankees' game tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah!" Virgil sipped on his coffee and snapped his fingers at the same time. "I meant to call him back about it, but I forgot!"

"I'll make sure Tony tells him when we go out today."

"Go out?" Samantha did a double-take. "You have a date? With Tony? Today?"

"Yeah," Pepper said slowly, her tone denoting how obvious it should have been for her to understand that _seeing_ someone in the way she and Tony were seeing each other meant going out on dates with them at some point.

"Seriously?"

"Yes. Seriously."

Samantha pulled her gaze away from Pepper's, stared at her now soggy cereal, and then scoffed.

"Well, hopefully you won't go to a science museum or any other intelligent place in the city. You won't be able to understand half of what is happening there with that tiny brain of yours."

"Samantha!" Virgil spat, ready to reprimand his daughter for the uncalled for insult against the redhead, but the brunette was out of the kitchen before anything else was said or done.

xxxXXXxxx

Tony would be at her doorstep, any minute now, to pick her up for their day-long date. It was rare that the couple had a chance to act like normal teenagers on the weekend, so when the opportunity arose for them to go out on a date, they made sure the occasion took the entire day.

 _"Well, we're taking the day off. No computer talk. No armory. Just you and me."_

Tony Stark had taken her description of a date to heart. Though, she highly doubted that shopping for shoes was on his list for today.

Then again, most of the things that would interest Tony, would bore Pepper to death – not because she did not want to please him by going along with them, but because she knew she would not be able to share his excitement with him.

Or, at the very least, not in a way that he would not immediately see as a blatant lie; an attempt to show attentiveness for something that was way over her head.

He _had_ told her that she did not _need_ to learn anything about science for his sake. But that had been _before_ Samantha had come along.

Had things changed since then? Did she now have to pick up a science book and learn it from cover to cover?

Was she even able to achieve such a feat?

"I thought you had a date," Samantha's mocking voice as the brunette sat next to her on the couch made Pepper's blood boil. Her apartment, while it had always been small, had never felt claustrophobic to the redhead until her sister had made herself at home. Now, even watching television in the living room was a chore. She would have waited for Tony downstairs, outside, perhaps even on the street. But it was way too hot to wait for him there. She would be a stinky pile of sweat by the time he showed up.

"I do," Pepper replied between clenched teeth, her eyes glued to the television screen. "He'll be here soon."

"He will?" Samantha eyed her up and down. "Then why aren't you dressed up yet?"

Pepper's head snapped towards her right to stare at her sister, and she then looked down at her typical attire of leggings, long blouse, high-top sneakers, and her signature tie around her neck.

"I _am_ dressed!"

"That's how you dress for dates?" Samantha's eyebrows rose.

"Yes! Is that a problem?" Pepper glared at the girl.

"No," Sam shrugged. "At least if you plan to lose him to a pretty girl once you go to college in a few months."

"W-what?"

"I'm just saying. Might as well get ready for that. College girls are _always_ dressed up. I know. I've _seen_ them. Especially if they know someone like Tony Stark's gonna be around. He's going to MIT, right? I'll probably see him there. One of my college acceptance letters is from MIT."

"How… how do you know where he's going?"

"He told me. I was undecided between MIT and Yale, so I asked for his opinion. We both agreed that MIT was probably best, seeing as Dr. Richards teaches there. You know he's coming back to the Academy next week? I'm totally _not_ missing out on that lecture! I'm sure Tony and I are gonna have so much fun there! In fact– uhm… Pepper? Pepper! PEPPER!"

Just like that, Pepper Potts had run back to her room, leaving her sister to bask in the glory of her triumph until there was a knock on the door.

 _Perfect timing_ , the brunette thought as she stood up from the couch to open the door, knowing very well who was standing on the other side of it. To her surprise, the genius had not made any significant adjustments to his own wardrobe for the occasion, either; the only difference for him was that he was wearing a black polo shirt instead of his typical red tee-shirt.

"Hi, Sam," Tony said with a smile, a set of keys twirling around his right index finger.

"Hi, Tony. Here for Pepper?" the girl rested the right side of her body against the edge of the door, a coy grin on her face.

"Yeah. She ready?"

"That's a good question," Sam looked back over her shoulder with a devious grin and towards the ginger's room for a second, and she then returned her eyes to the inventor. "Want to come inside while you wait? There's a documentary on the mass and light beam that came out of _Markarian 335_."

"The black hole?" Tony said with excitement, the keys' movement coming to a halt. "That's so cool! Did you know that… that… t-th-that… wow…"

"What?" Samantha was momentarily confused by Tony's sudden look of shock and his jaw practically hitting the floor until she heard him gasp her sister's name and watched as his eyes moved up and down to something behind her.

 _Someone_ behind her.

"Hey, Tony," Pepper took short steps towards the door, afraid to trip on her own two feet due to the height of the heels she was currently wearing, knowing that the short, black, strapless dress that surrounded her body down to her mid-thigh would leave her rather exposed if she were to fall.

Tony Stark's gulp was loud enough for Virgil Potts to hear.

"H-hey," he licked his lips. "You-you… uhm… hair… dress… legs… oh, _legs_ … I mean…" he shook his head. "Nice. You… you look nice."

Pepper gave him a one-sided shrug before she finally reached the door; Samantha silently staring between them in awe, the girl clearly forgotten by the two teens.

"I-I… You… ready, Pep?"

"Yes," she nervously rubbed the back of her neck with her right hand. "Is it… I mean, I can change. Is this too much?"

"No. Fine. It's… fine… But," he looked at himself. "I… I gotta change."

"No, Tony. It's OK," Pepper began walking back towards her door. "I don't know what I was thinking. It's silly. Give me five minutes and I'll–"

"No, Pepper," he grabbed her by the hand. "It's OK. You're fine. I can… and you… well… you… you look... You look amazing."

Pepper bit her bottom lip at the look of unrestrained approval that Tony was giving her, remembered that her sister was still very much present, and then decided to make things even between them.

"I bet I don't look like a boy anymore, huh?" the redhead winked at her boyfriend.

"No, you don't," he could not keep his eyes from taking in every inch of her. "You never did."

"So, date?" she pressed her body against him and felt him tremble where he stood.

"Yes. Date."

"Lead the way, then," she hugged his right arm with both of hers and pressed her face against him to keep him from seeing the blush that was creeping up on her, which only finally cemented itself on her entire face as soon as she felt the rapid beat of his heart.


	10. Chapter 9

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thank you for the favorites/follows:** _macrossboy_.

 **Miss geek: OMG hahahahah I couldn't help it I was worried that pep would be insecure and sam would snatch tony but no of course not ...yet anyway ahhhh i love it ! Pls update soon ur amazing** – LOL! But it's gonna be fun to watch Sam try to do that. Very. Very. Very. Fun.

 **Guest: OH MY GOSH this is just epic keep it up and more chapters please ! LOVE FROM ALLIE your biggest fan !xx I've been reading your stories since the last summer which was my life ! I would read it all the time your soooooo talented * X** – Hi, Allie! How are you doing? :D Here's another chapter for my biggest fan ^_^ I think you're gonna love it!

 **Ellie: Awesome chap as usual ;)** – Thank you! Get ready for some fluff here!

 **GiGi: Update pleaseeee** – Sorry I'm taking forever! But here's a rather cute update! :)

 **Lightnnnn: Waiting for the next part !** – TADA! Next part is here!

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

The Stark International building was one of the tallest structures in downtown Manhattan, rivaled only by perhaps the Empire State Building, which happened to be one spot above SI's headquarters in height. The roof of SI was not a location to be taken lightly; let alone a place someone would consider sitting on the edge of to watch the nightlife of the city that never slept, without fear or worry. Nevertheless, when this someone was none other than Tony Stark, and he was trying to impress his girlfriend, Pepper Potts, safety precautions were completely ignored and thrown by the wayside.

Who would tell Iron Man and Rescue that they could not hang out on the roof of his own darn building, anyway? At this height, no one could even tell that the twosome was wrapping up their date there. Besides, after having brunch together, walking through Central Park, going to the movies, to the arcade, and then having a candlelight dinner in the most expensive restaurant in the entire state, silent cuddling atop the inventor's home was just the way to bring their exciting day together to a close – despite how much neither of them wanted their date to end.

Freaking Albert Einstein and his relativity theory! He had to go and ruin it for everybody, and here was the proof. A day at school appeared to drag on forever. A day together, without school, seemed to go by in the blink of an eye.

 _Speaking of eyes…_

"You're staring again," Pepper whispered, her eyes never moving away from admiring the neon lights of Times Square below them.

"I would say: I'm sorry…" Tony whispered back, his right hand laced with her left one, his eyes still on her.

"But you're not sorry."

"Not one bit."

Pepper chuckled at his response, shook her head, and then stared back at him with a melancholic sigh.

"I guess Sam was right: I need to dress up like this when we go out on dates."

Tony narrowed his eyes as his head recoiled.

"That's… Is _that_ why you're dressed like this? Because of something your _sister_ said?"

"Yeah," Pepper looked away from him and returned her gaze at the small-looking cars navigating the streets. "She said that if I didn't dress up, that… that-that… well… that you'd find someone else that did… in college."

"Huh," Tony shrugged, "That's odd."

"What is?"

"Didn't know Sam did drugs."

"What?" Pepper stared at him. "Drugs? Why would you think she does drugs?"

"'Cuz she _has_ to be high to think that I'd dump you for a girl that dresses up."

It took the redhead a moment to make complete sense of Tony's response; but once she did, they both laughed aloud for an instant.

"OK, you got me there," the girl admitted.

"I sure did," he winked playfully at her and she stuck out her tongue to him in a rather childish manner.

"But seriously, Pepper," he continued, "Let's talk about this."

"About what?" Pepper surrounded the boy's right arm with both of hers, and then rested her head on his shoulder.

"About you taking whatever she says to heart," Tony held Pepper's left hand with both of his, and then alternated between staring at their hands and her face as he spoke. "I think I've told you this before, but I'll tell you again: I like you a lot, Pepper. Just the way you are. You… you don't have to change. At least not for me. I… I'm happy with who you are. I'm happy with what we have and… I'm happy… with you."

Pepper felt a light blush cover her cheeks as she hung her head. She then tightened her grip around Tony's arm and closed her eyes.

"I like you, too, Tony. And I'm happy. Very happy. Which means that you also _didn't_ have to change clothes."

"I know," he one-side shrugged with his left side. "But I wanted to match up with you. You took the effort to look nice for our date. Least I could do was doing the same for you."

"It wasn't _that_ much of an effort," Pepper pulled away from him and rolled her eyes playfully. "I just grabbed the first dress I saw and then rushed to match the rest."

"Well, you look great. I actually didn't even know you owned any dresses, Pep."

"I don't," she smirked. "I _borrowed_ it from Sam's closet. And I _may_ have also borrowed her shoes," the redhead wiggled her feet.

This time, it was Tony who took a second to process her response; but then their bouts of laughter were louder and lasted longer than before.

"Oh, that's priceless," Tony dried tears of laughter from his eyes.

"No kidding! I wonder how long it took her to realize that the dress and shoes are hers. And possibly this wallet, too," she waved the wallet in her hand before she tucked it back into Tony's pants pocket, seeing as she had no other decent places to carry her wallet with her.

"She's smart. So I'm gonna say it probably happened about five seconds after we left your place."

"Probably," Pepper scoffed. "Or maybe she was still wondering why I don't have a curfew and she does."

"Oh, yeah," Tony nodded in agreement. "The Rescue job really helped in no longer having to report back home at a reasonable hour, huh? Then again, if your dad knew what we do with your lack of curfew… especially at the Temple…"

"Tony!" Pepper slapped his knee.

"What?" Tony feigned pain on his leg. "I'm just saying!"

"Ugh," Pepper tried to keep an appalled look on her face, but she was unable to do so for long. "Fine! Yes! We do… _stuff_ … And let's just hope that he really doesn't find out."

"Or that if he does, it happens when I'm already hiding on the other side of the world."

"That too. But, what if… Hey! Wait a minute! Did you just say that _you hope it happens when **you're** on the other side of the planet_?

"Yup."

"Just you?"

"Yes."

"What about me?"

"What about you?"

"You'd leave me here to face the music alone?"

"Self-preservation, Pep. I've got some."

"Well, _that_ 's good to know!"

"Write it down," he continued his jest, "You might forget it in the middle of being lectured about how you shouldn't be making out with your boyfriend in his room when you're supposed to be doing homework and nothing more."

"TONY!" Pepper's face was redder than he had ever seen it on her. "Would you stop that?!"

"But, I'm having fun!"

"I'm not!"

"Really?" Tony pretended to be surprised by her reply. "It's super fun from where I'm sitting."

"Ugh, shush, Stark!" Pepper tried to move away from him, but she did not get the chance to do so: Tony immediately stopped her with a sideways hug and then pressed her upper body against his chest.

"OK. OK, Pepper. I'm done..."

"For now," they both said in unison, knowing that Tony would never be done poking good-natured jabs at his girlfriend, before they laughed aloud for a third time.

Moments like these were so rare for them; they were in high demand but in low supply. Squeezing the life out of them while they were present was an opportunity they never let pass: the joy of simple peace and quiet. The chance of experiencing no worries and no doubts. Fearing no immediate danger. And just the two of them under the dark sky. There was nothing like this in the world for them. There was nowhere else where they would prefer to be at the moment; except maybe at a place with an even lower chance of being seen.

A long and comfortable silence fell between again; one in which Pepper focused on synchronizing her breathing with the inventor – and one in which Tony fought against himself to find the courage to ask and relay something very important to his redheaded best friend and girlfriend, once and for all. The current atmosphere was perfect. The topic could be easily breached. The timeframe was on point. All he needed to do was voice his thoughts. All he needed to do was make sure that there was no doubt in Pepper's mind of his commitment to her and only her.

 _"Just tell her straight up, Tony,"_ Rhodey had recommended his mostly oblivious-about-girls friend. _"Tell her how you feel and let nature and time do the rest."_

 _"But what if I freak her out, Rhodey? What if she's not there yet? What if it's too soon?"_

 _"Pepper's your friend before she's your girlfriend. She won't freak out. You won't mess it up. And if she's not there yet, all you gotta do is wait."_

 _"Like you waited outside my bedroom's door and caught me practicing my lines to Pepper against the mirror?"_

 _"Yup. Just like that. In fact, if you think about it, me catching you playing Romeo kinda proves my point: waiting works."_

His friend did have a point: the passing of time did always solve everything and anything: either by healing you, killing you, or gracing you with more time. It had been time that had made his friendship with Pepper blossom and become stronger. It had been time that had allowed him to eventually come to terms with the fact that he was falling for her. And once more, it was time that would help her see that she had nothing to worry about – that, in his eyes, she was already exactly the kind of person with whom he wanted to be.

Yes. It was time; _the_ perfect time. In fact, it perhaps was somewhat _overdue_.

"Hey, Pep?" he lightly rocked their bodies from side to side, if for no other reason than to calm his nerves.

"Uh-huh?" she closed her eyes again.

"I… I was wondering… I wanted to tell you that I… I-I…" he sighed. "D-do you want to go to Prom with me?"

It was not exactly what he had wanted to say, but it was a start.

Pepper pulled a few inches away from Tony and lifted her gaze to stare her boyfriend directly in the eye. She could tell that he was partly uncomfortable, perhaps even nervous, which made him that much more adorable to her at the moment.

"Didn't know you did drugs, Tony," Pepper's gaze returned to the neon signs, but she did not break the embrace.

"Drugs?" he asked, clearly failing to instantly recall his own joke of just a moment ago.

"Yeah. 'Cuz you _have_ to be high to think that we're not going to Senior Prom together."

"Huh? I… _What_?" Tony furrowed his brow, pulled away from her to stare at her in confusion, and then realization showed on his face. "Oh! OH! Oh, yeah! I get it! Hahaha!"

"Oh, Tony!" Pepper giggled and pinched his right cheek with her hand, "You're so easy!"

"Yeah. Maybe I am," he smiled at her, not an ounce of displeasure with her words showing on his face.

Her pinching then turned into her palm tenderly resting on his face, a gesture that Tony returned by leaning closer to her face to press his lips against hers. Pepper eagerly kissed him back and grabbed onto the lapels of his tuxedo jacket to pull him closer to her. Next thing they knew, Tony had pulled Pepper to sit sideways across his lap; his left hand resting on her right hip, and his right hand cradling her neck. Pepper's arms then slid up from holding onto his clothes to surrounding his neck; her right hand massaging his scalp while her left one squeezed onto his shoulder.

Their personal record for the longest time of breathing hard through their nose to avoid stopping a savory kiss was more than just barely broken, only for their second kiss to then be cut short when Tony pulled away from her to stare at the redhead with an indecipherable look on his face. His breathing was as ragged as hers. His mouth was slightly ajar. His lips were partly swollen. But it was his electric blue orbs that almost gave away the prize: they silently spoke of an epic revelation that was enroute.

"What's wrong, Tony?" the ginger queried, almost immediately missing the warmth that his touch always brought to her, but she was also slightly worried by the expression on his face.

"Pepper…"

She watched him open and close his mouth a couple of times; clearly struggling with whatever he had to say. He licked his lips a few times, swallowed hard some others, and then shuddered noticeably before he spoke once more.

"Pep: I…" he slowly ran his left hand down her face, halting when it almost reached her jawline and left it to rest there.

"What is it?" the ginger frowned and placed her right hand on his, leaving it between her face and her palm.

"I… Pepper, I l–"

" _Warning! Warning! User intervention required!_ "

The sound of Tony's pod going off made him close his eyes, groan, run his right hand down his face, and then exhale loudly through his nostrils. Of course time was going to hit him in the groin at the worst possible opportunity. It _was_ Time, after all: this _was_ what it did.

"What's going on?" Pepper asked as she watched Tony take out his pod and read the message blinking on his screen.

"Attempt at unauthorized use of the Rescue armor detected," the blue-eyed boy said with narrowed eyes. "Evasive maneuvers completed. Return armor to base?"

"What?" Pepper pressed her face closer to Tony's to read the message herself. "Someone tried to use my suit?"

"Apparently."

"What are the evasive maneuvers?"

"Uhm…" Tony began sweating when it dawned on him who could have been near the armor to try to put it on – and in what condition they could be finding themselves at the moment.

"I think we should go back to your place, Pep. Right now."

"What? Why?" Pepper asked, for a second not understanding the reason for the rush, for why Tony had returned them both to the middle of the roof, for why he had just now set her feet down, or for why Tony was calling on his armor to suit up.

"To handle the issue with your suit."

"But the suit can handle itself," Pepper rolled her eyes. "Besides, who would be dumb enough to… to… oh… OH, _NUTS_!"

"Hold on to me," Tony, who was now suited up as Iron Man thanks to Extremis, told his girlfriend before he pulled her up into his arms.

"Think she'll be OK?" Pepper surrounded his shoulders with her arms.

"I'm more worried about your dad. He's gonna kill me."

"I'll hide the shotgun," Pepper jested, but she was not at all under the belief that her father would take it out on Tony because her sister was too curious for her own good.

 _Oh, well_ , Pepper internally sighed in deject once she felt the familiar rush of being carried by her armored hero. _So much for trying to cash in on the bet tonight!_


	11. Chapter 10

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thank you for the favorite/follow:** _IMMA-L0V3R_ , _Poosa-ard_ , and _Lone-wolf155_. Thank you very much!

 **Guest: Holy OmGGGGG THAT WAS JUST SO ADORABLE :P and gosh the bet sounds sooo mischievous...not making any assumptions but is it that they sleep together or something ?cuz it seems like it by the way Tony was talking to lol that was awesome ;) I would love that to be the bet as it would symbolise how strong their bond together is even with Sam in the way !..anyways amaze xx** – coughcoughcouch Oh, excuse me. My throat is itchy. coughcoughcough

 **Guest: Soooo CUTE** – Thank you! More cuteness coming soon!

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 **Harrisss: Oml it's been toooooo long** – Sorry! Hope this chappie makes up for it.

 **A/N:** Know how to unwind after spending nearly 12 hours working on a Saturday? WRITE A CHAPTER FOR _OH, YEAH: HER_! Know how to tell me if you liked the update? REVIEW THE HECK OUT OF IT! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

From the moment Pepper had ended up in Iron Man's arms, to when the couple had found themselves in the redhead's room, only fifteen minutes had passed. However, for Samantha Potts and her father, it had felt as if hours had gone by. One second, the doting father had been relaxing on his couch, catching up on the sports news he needed to be aware of to enjoy the game tomorrow; the next second, he was rushing to his eldest' daughter's room due to a loud scream of pain.

"What the heck did you do?!" Pepper's angry words towards her incapacitated sister only served to acerbate Samantha. " _What_ were you _thinking_?"

"She wasn't," Virgil's curt tone of voice sounded everything but understanding or approving of the situation the younger Potts had placed herself in.

"Stay put," Tony ordered the girl as he kneeled next to Sam to begin the unlocking sequence that would allow her to be freed from the Rescue backpack, which kept shocking her whenever she tried to move. "This will only take a second."

 _A second too long!_

Not in a million years had the brunette ever fathomed that she would be caught in such an awkward predicament: lying face down, on her sister's room's floor, being kept in place by a darn invention of Tony Stark's.

 _This is so embarrassing!_

She had anticipated that the armor would have some type of safety mechanism to prevent unauthorized usage; and she had believed that she would be able to easily set it offline. What she had never imagined, however, not in her wildest dreams, was that said measure would be _this_ extreme.

Who the heck secured an armored suit by sending electrical shocks to the wearer, if he or she did not match the physical measurements already recognized by the operating system? The most she expected to encounter was some form of DNA scan, and she hoped the similarity of her pattern to Pepper's would be able to fool the system, and that she would simply be rejected if it did not. Was a simple message along the lines of: _User Not Recognized_ , not enough?

Evidently, when the technology was one designed by Tony Stark, nothing but extreme measures would make due.

" _Overriding safety measures. User: Iron Man, biometrics accepted."_

No sooner than Tony removed the backpack from her person, Samantha got up on her feet and ran towards her room; stumbling and falling to the floor a couple of times due to the electricity that still made her muscles twitch with every move. Both Pepper and Tony remained where they stood; neither of them having the will or the energy to lecture the minor about what she had done wrong.

"Where do you think you're going, young lady?" Virgil called as he chased after the teen. "Get back here!"

The sounds of Virgil Potts barely making it inside Samantha's room before she tried locking herself inside was followed by the slamming of a door and the beginning of a shouting match between father and daughter; one that Pepper knew would perhaps go on for a long time, and that it would probably ruin any chances she had for having a relaxing rest of her weekend at home.

Some part of Pepper told her that she should have been at least a little bit happy that not only had Samantha made a fool out of herself in front of everyone, but that she was also clearly in trouble with their common parental unit. However, the only part of herself that she could listen to right now was the same one that had kept Samantha from being in serious trouble or from experiencing physical pain, one too many times, many years ago. Part of her wanted to go inside that room and place herself between Virgil and her baby sister to protect her, even if she knew that their father would never lay a hand on either of them, no matter how angry he was at her.

It was difficult to let go of old habits, however. It was difficult to let go of the past.

"Pepper?" the ginger felt Tony's hand grabbing hers, "Are you OK?"

Hazel eyes slowly shifted from staring at the open door of her quarters to locking with his electric blue ones to her right flank. Then, for a brief instant, while lost in the turbulent sea of concern reflected in his orbs, Pepper wanted to open up to her boy genius and tell him everything; all of it – every single awful, cruel and abusive incident her mother had put her through.

She wanted to tell him of the times she had spent the night locked up in a dark, musty closet, fearing for her life while holding on to her frightened sister, praying that her drunken mother never realized where their hideout was. She wanted to relay to him about the instances in which her mother had taken advantage of Virgil's long-lasting, away-from-home missions; the ones where she had been punished for defending her sister by being forced to sleep outside during the winter, leaving the poor redheaded child to seek warmth by curling up between the side of the house and the city dumpsters of her old neighborhood.

She wanted to finally let out all of her feelings of anger and of deep resentment towards her mother, so that she could begin mending the wounds she had not been aware were still wide open until Samantha had returned. She wanted to be held lovingly, caressed tenderly, and be told in a sweet tone of voice that it was not her fault – that it had never been her fault – what she had experienced when growing up. That it had all been her mother's doing – her lack of self-control and caring for her own offspring. She wanted someone, anyone, to tell her that _she_ had done _no_ wrong.

But she also did not want anyone to think less of her; least of all the genius boy.

"Pep?" he cupped her left cheek with his right hand, his left one resting on the small of her back to pull her closer towards him, "Why are you crying? What is going on?"

"What?" the ginger blinked her eyes rapidly to clear tears she had not been aware she had begun spilling. She then sniffled, cleared her throat, and roughly dried her tears with the back of her hands. "I-I… Nothing. It's nothing."

Tony immediately narrowed his eyes.

" _Nothing_ , like when you were freaking out all day at school, thinking that something very bad was about to happen? _Nothing_ , like when you thought Samantha was going to take your place in my life? That kind of _nothing_ , you mean?"

"No," she pulled away and turned her back to him. "More like: nothing worth mentioning or thinking about again. _That_ kind of _nothing_."

"But Pep–"

"Tony, please," she covered her eyes with her hands, "Just, please: let it go."

Tony opened his mouth once more, ready to insist and insist on his request until he made her talk about whatever it was that had upset her to the point of silent tears. However, when they heard the door to Samantha's door open and close again, and Virgil's mumbling voice stating a colorful string of words, Tony knew that this was his cue to return to his own home.

"Are you coming to the armory tomorrow?" the genius asked.

"No," Pepper replied too quickly, making the inventor's head recoil.

"No?" Tony raised a single brow.

"No," she closed her eyes even though she was not even facing him.

"Want me to stop by afterwards? Our dads are gonna–"

"No," her curt tone was starting to annoy him.

"No?"

"Didn't you hear me? I said: no."

Tony's hands turned into fists and his eyes narrowed even more. This was turning out to be as childish and reckless as Samantha's actions of just now, and he knew that he should have just accepted her answer and moved on. But there was something in the way she had just uttered the last reply that made his blood boil.

Before he could stop himself, venom came out of his lips as well.

"Well, do you still want me to talk to you? Look at you? _Think_ about you? Or is that prohibited too?"

"Tony," she began turning around in place when she realized this was becoming the start of a pointless fight, "Don't be like that, OK? You… you just _don't_ understand…"

"Tell me something I _don't_ know," the blue-eyed boy crossed his arms over his chest, his face sporting a deep frown. "Call me crazy, Pep, but I thought that asking about what bothers someone and getting an answer for that question was the first part of this _understanding_ process. But, you know, even geniuses can be wrong."

The air-quotes around the word _understanding_ and the hyperbolic roll of his eyes became the last straw for her.

"Yeah," Pepper narrowed her eyes, caring nothing for his sarcastic tone of voice. "Yeah, you're right, Tony. Even _geniuses_ don't know when to let things go!"

"We _can't_ let it go when it matters to us!"

"Or even after people ask you for some space, it seems!"

"Oh, you need space now?" Tony rolled his eyes again and dropped his arms to his sides. "Am I using up your oxygen, too? World not big enough for the both of us? Well, why didn't you say so from the beginning? You want space? Fine! Take all the darn space you need! I'll just leave you alone!"

"Fine!" Pepper stomped her right foot onto the floor. "No one's stopping you, you know? Why don't you just fly out the window, while you're at it? Put on your shiny suit and go home!"

"I will!" Tony began putting on the suit.

"Alright!" Pepper threw her shoes off her feet.

"Yes!" Iron Man's faceplate covered his angry facial features.

"Be on your way!" Pepper opened the window of her room.

"I am!" Tony flew out through the window.

"Don't let the window hit you on the way home!" the redhead said before she slammed the window shut, relishing in the childish victory of having said the last word.

Pepper then angrily shut close the curtains of the window, crossed her arms over her chest, and then heard a familiar voice coming from the speakers of her armor backpack.

" _Good night to you too!"_

Gauging by the long-winded groan that escaped her throat, Virgil Potts had enough sense to skip past his daughter's door.

xxxXXXxxx

He felt pathetic.

Utterly pathetic.

Heck! He actually felt _pathetically_ pathetic!

Was that even a thing?

Maybe it was. Maybe it was not. But the bottom line was that, he, Anthony Edward Stark, young and handsome billionaire, was stuck home on a Sunday night. Alone.

Pathetically alone.

His male best friend was flying back home with his mother from visiting his grandmother. His father was hanging out at a baseball game with his girlfriend's dad. And his girlfriend? Well, who the heck knew what the redhead was up to at the moment. Whatever it was, it was not being done here, in his room, with him.

Tony sighed loudly for the millionth time, his eyes briefly landing on his pod. He was in the living area of his bedroom, television on at a low volume, his feet up on the ottoman that lay before the sectional that made up the sitting area of the luxurious penthouse-like floor he lived on. Shortly after turning eighteen – and after the Makluan Invasion – Tony had made the decision to move to a floor different from the one his father's bedroom was, if just to have some space to call his own. Being a male, Howard Stark understood his son's need for having a piece of the building that belonged to him – one other than the lab he sometimes fell asleep in while tinkering with a new invention or two.

Space.

There was so much unused space in the building.

He had never even thought about it until today.

Until the concept of _space_ hurt.

He sighed again, grabbed his pod in his left hand, and flipped it open.

There were no missed calls.

No missed messages.

Not even an unread e-mail or an angry update on her _MyFace_ page.

There was nothing. Not one sign of Pepper's current whereabouts or thoughts.

Having space was a dream come true. Giving space _sucked_.

He rested his arms on the back edge of the couch, looked at the ceiling, closed his eyes, and then almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the doorbell ring.

He stood up from the couch, ran towards the door, and before he got to it, it opened up to reveal a crestfallen redhead standing by the threshold. She was in her typical outfit, her armor backpack on her. She bit her lower lip, stole a quick glance at him, and then slumped her shoulders even more. Tony halted his steps when she looked away from him, unsure as to why she had even bothered to ring the bell – she had a key to his home.

He watched her right foot attempt to go inside the penthouse, but she ended up remaining where she was. She then ran her fingers through her hair, cleared her throat, shyly laced her hands together on her front, and then spoke in the softest of tones.

"I… I'm sorry."

Tony did not say a thing, so she continued to say what she had been practicing over and over again on her way here.

"I didn't mean… I didn't want to…" she sighed. "I'm sorry for taking out my issues on you. It's not your fault that… well… I-I-I… I'm very sorry for snapping at you."

When Tony continued to stand still and silent, Pepper's chin and lips began to shake.

"It's… it's just such a long story. And I don't want to talk about it… yet. Or ever."

Tears began showing up again, more intensely than yesterday, forcing her to close her eyes to keep them at bay.

"I want to tell you. I do. But I don't know how… because I'm not ready yet. And-and you didn't deserve what I did to you yesterday. You still don't deserve it. Never will. You just don't. I… I'm sorry, Tony. I'm so sorry!"

"I'm sorry, too," his whispered voice echoed in her ears as his arms surrounded her, pressing her firmly against him. "I screwed up, too, Pep. I'm sorry."

"Tony," she grabbed onto his shirt rather tightly and swallowed down a sob when she felt him kiss the side of her face.

"It's OK. You don't have to tell me now. Or ever, if you don't want to. But I wish that you would."

Instead of responding, she simply nodded and clung onto him as if her life depended on it. Maybe it did. Maybe it did not. She was not sure. But she was extremely certain that this, him right now, telling her it was OK while holding her in his arms, was what she had been craving since she had kicked him out of her room the day before.

Or maybe for even longer than she had known.

"Sorry," the redhead said as she pulled away from his chest to see that her tears had marked his t-shirt while she attempted in vain to dry up the fabric by simply rubbing the area with her palms.

"It's OK, Pepper," he held her face in his hands. "It's OK. I'm not mad anymore."

"No," she shook her head. "I messed up, Tony. I know I messed up big time. But, I'll make it up to you. I promise, I will."

"You don't have to."

"I know. But I want to. And I will. I'll think of something. You'll see."

He nodded once, if just to show her that they were on good terms once more, and before she could think of anything else to say, an idea came to his mind.

"Actually, if you're open to suggestions, I can think of something you can do right now."

"Really?" she frowned, some of her own anxiety already melting away. "What is it? Is it food? I hope it's not food. You know I can't cook. I'll poison you!"

"No, it's not food," he pulled her further into the room, letting the front door close and lock on its own.

"Then, what? What can I do to make it up to you?"

His eyes locked with hers for a second, the words refusing to come out on their own. Yet, when his eyes briefly traveled towards the area where his bed lay, then back at her, and he saw her blush, he knew that she had understood what she could do for him.

The bet.

It all came down to paying up the bet.

"Stay," he told her, just to make sure that there was no doubt about what he was asking her to do.

"Tonight?" she frowned for a second, weighed her options, and then nodded with certainty. "Tonight. Yes. I can. I'll stay. Tonight."

"Great!" he smiled. "But, before anything else…"

"Anything else wha–"

His lips on hers marked the beginning of the night


	12. Chapter 11

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Kylie: I'm like done .HOLY SHIT that was just amazing your killing me with these cliff hangers ! You have to update sooner tho I'm not kidding I check every day ! But anyways, I can't wait to see what happens a soooo STEAMY haha.** – No! Please, don't die of _cliffhangeritis_! The story still has sooooo much to give! ;) And yes: I made up that word. It's a thing now XD

 **A/N:** I take it by the lack of input that the last chapter wasn't very well liked? I was so excited about it because… well… it was a VERY important chapter. Is it a silent recommendation for me not to have Tony and Pepper in his room again? Cuz that kinda throws some very important plot points of this story out the window. Sigh. :(

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

It was only first period, and she already felt like a toddler who had been scolded by her parents after finding out that she had stolen from the cookie jar while they were not looking. She was well aware that she was not a toddler; that Tony and Pepper were not her parents; and that, other than nearly dying of humiliation, the incident had not even registered in the heroes' high-priority radar. It was as if someone other than them trying to use their suits was commonplace – or maybe it was just the fact that they somehow knew that she had learned her lesson the hard way.

Her father, however, was a different story. He had not only yelled at her for several minutes, but he had actually _grounded_ her for two weeks as well. In all her years of being alive, Samantha Potts had never, ever, been grounded. She had been yelled at by her mother, plenty of times; who, ironically, yelled at the brunette only to compare her to the redheaded child she had wanted to keep instead of her. It had almost become a routine while living in Pittsburgh with her mother: coming home to be told how Pepper was a much better daughter than she could ever amount to be.

Samantha did not know what was more ironic: the fact that, even after beating and punishing Pepper almost every day while she had grown up, for seemingly no reason at all other than what her booze-addled brain told her, it was Pepper who was their mother's favorite child; or the fact that, despite her own superior intelligence, good looks, and various other talents, that the redhead was still regarded as _the only one who had been worth having_.

It was as if Pepper had some sort of enchantment placed over anyone who thought highly of her. It was as if whoever liked Pepper simply could not see anything wrong with her obvious flaws or her myriad of transgressions, even though those same flaws would stand out like glow sticks if present in anyone else.

Worse than that, however, was the fact that, whomever the redhead had under her spell, him or her was unable to stay mad at the ginger for any reasonable amount of time.

Just as it was the case with Tony Stark.

She had heard them argue on Saturday. And she had seen Pepper drag around her body as if it weighed a million pounds for most of Sunday. Then, without saying a word to her, the ginger had disappeared from her room; coming back early this morning, only minutes before it was time to get ready for school. Judging by the fact that Pepper and Tony were on speaking terms again, it was obvious where the redhead had flown off to… and where she might have spent the night, too.

The thought of Tony and Pepper sharing more than just a common interest in defeating space lizards made Samantha groan. Much to her chagrin, her plan was not at the stage that she had expected it to be by this point: Tony and Pepper were nowhere near an irreparable breakup. In fact, as far as she was concerned, the couple was probably bonding even more by doing adult things while alone.

Samantha sighed inwardly as her eyes stared at the small piece of paper before her, the boring and repetitive morning lecture being of no concern to her. Upon class starting, and taking advantage of the fact that the genius was sitting to her left, she had quickly written a short apology on a small note she had then passed to Tony. In turn, the inventor had spared the paper a glance, had grabbed it to scribble something on it before folding it, and he had then promptly returned it to her when the teacher had not been looking their way.

The girl had expected all kinds of normal responses to her _I'm sorry about the armor_ statement; mostly along the lines of _Don't mention it_ , _It's OK_ , _Forget about it_ , or maybe even a _Sorry about the shocks!_ However, much to her surprise, Tony's response to her apology had been all but comforting. All he had had to say to her statement had been: _Don't do it again._

Yes, siree. She was definitely a toddler today – and Tony Stark was the mean parent she had never wanted to have.

She stole a side-glance to the blue-eyed inventor in question, noting yet again how silent and relaxed he appeared to be. It was not as if he was typically talkative or was always highly on edge, but there was just something about his mannerisms today that screamed something incredibly great had happened to him. If she had not known that he already was a billionaire, she would have thought that he had won the lottery. Or, at the very least, that he had been given the winning numbers and the opportunity to play. She could not quite place what it was that she was seeing, or how she knew that something was up, but it was clear to her that the Iron Man alter ego was not only rather serene and calm today, but also very much content.

The possibilities as to why he would be acting like this made her stomach churn. It also did not help that Pepper had been claiming on their way to school that she was very tired, due to not sleeping long enough the night before. It did not take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. Or, to put it rather bluntly: to put one and one together, and realize what these ones had done the night before.

Never to be one to be graced with politeness or subtlely, Samantha Potts did the only thing she could think to do: she outright asked the question that was torturing her soul.

" _Did you spend the night with my sister?"_

The words on the piece of paper she had just slid towards Tony's field of vision had the desired effect: his eyes had quickly widened in surprise and his mouth had gone slightly ajar. Yet, as quickly as the shock had befallen him, it had also gone away, leaving him with a furrowed brow, a tight jaw, and pursed lips.

" _Personal boundaries: learn some,"_ was his angry reply.

" _Discretion: teach her some,"_ was her sarcastic retort.

xxxXXXxxx

"Stop trying to figure it out," Rhodey told the brunette sitting next to him. "You'll just give yourself a headache."

Samantha returned her attention to the book she was supposed to be reading – or, actually, the book she was using to pretend she was not attentively watching the couple before her – but said book was able to hold her attention for just a brief instant. Her entire world, at the moment, revolved around the fact that Tony Stark was currently sitting on the roof, on the opposite side of where she and Rhodey sat, with a slumbering redhead resting her head on his left thigh. The ginger had fallen asleep as soon as her head had landed on her boyfriend's leg, and she was yet to move at all, save for the steady rising and lowering of her chest and stomach, showing that breathing was still on the menu. If Samantha did not know any better, she would have believed her sister to be dead or comatose.

"When did you stop trying to figure it out?" Samantha suddenly asked and snapped close the book in her hands.

"About five seconds after the first time I saw them interact."

" _That_ long ago?" Sam raised a single eyebrow. "Haven't you known them for a long time? How can that be?"

Rhodey shrugged.

"I just accepted it as a fact of life and moved on. They just _click_ , and that just what it is. There's no rhyme or reason. It's like an unsolved mystery."

"Doesn't it bother you? I mean, you've been friends with Tony longer than she has. _And_ you've been friends with Pepper longer than he has."

"It's not a competition," Rhodey began, "I mean: I _was_ worried, at first, since Tony had never interacted with a girl as much as he had with Pepper. And Pepper… well… I know she's your sister and all, but she's crazy. I was worried that Tony would screw it up or put himself in a bad situation, but… it just… it never happened. They just hit it off. In a very, very, _very_ strange way. Probably because they're both just so reckless and insane."

"Isn't that something to worry about? What two reckless and insane people can do when left to do what they want?"

"You'd think," Rhodey conceded. "But that's the thing with them: as impulsive as they are, they'd never let anything happen to the other, if they have any say in it. I can live with that."

As if on cue, both Rhodey and Samantha watched as Tony carefully lifted the girl in his arms to move them both to a different location on the roof. The sun had started shifting as their free period had gone by, and by now the rays were shining brightly atop the sleeping girl. The redhead barely opened one eye to see what was happening, but when she saw that it was just Tony rearranging their position, she went right back to sleep, this time, laying across him; her head on his chest, and being surrounded by his arms. Two seconds later, the inventor himself rested his head against the concrete ledge of the roof, and closed his eyes as well.

Rhodey exchanged a knowing look with the brunette, as if silently telling her: _See? That's what they do_.

"They slept together," Sam blurted out with the least amount of finesse in the entire world.

"What else is new?" Rhodey's voice had a hint of disinterest that Samantha had not expected it to have.

"What?" she faced with him a look of disbelief. "You mean they've done it before?"

"Yeah. All the time," Rhodey replied.

" _All_ the time?"

"Yes. All. The. Time. In the Iron Man armory. At my house. At your house. At Tony's place. Even here on the roof. It's a thing for them, I guess."

"They had sex in school?!"

"What?!" Rhodey's head snapped to his right. "They had sex in school?"

"You _just_ said that they did!"

"Me?" he pointed a finger at his chest. "No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did! You said they do it all the time!"

"Yes: sleep! They sleep together all the… oh… wait… I hear it now," Rhodey shook his head. "That's not the _it_ I meant."

"Then what _it_ are you talking about?"

" _That_ it," he pointed at the sleepy couple. "Although, I think this is the first time they're asleep at the same time. Usually, one of them is awake while the other sleeps."

"That's because they were _both_ up late," Samantha began. "Pepper didn't spend the night at home last night."

"So?"

"What do you mean: so? They slept together last night! As in, the _real_ meaning of _sleeping together_ ," she air-quoted the last two words.

"You think?" Rhodey tilted his head.

"Yes."

"Huh," the boy shrugged. "That doesn't sound like them."

"It never does, for anyone. But think about it: why would Pepper spend the entire night out, come back home just before we left for school, and then complain all day today that she didn't sleep well? And look at Tony! He's passed out, too! There's _only_ one thing all of this can mean!"

"Actually, with those two, it could mean anything. And I truly mean: anything. They could have gone out on a mission. Sparred on Stark International's roof. Flown to the other side of the world, just for the heck of it. Spent all night testing a new invention of his. Watched TV or movies until dawn. Or heck! They could've just sat in the same room, doing just what they're doing right now: sleeping at the same time."

"Or they could've been making babies."

"Nuh-uh," Rhodey chuckled. "They are closer to discovering French kissing than they're to learning about the birds and the bees. I mean, Tony hasn't even told Pepper that he lo– Uhm… I mean… Uh… Ahem… Yeah… whatever. Point is: they're not there yet."

Thankfully for him, Rhodey's slip up went unnoticed by the brunette. She was still too caught up in trying to think of more concrete reasons why her suspicions about her sister and her boyfriend were absolute truth.

"Besides," Rhodey continued, "Why do you care if they have? They're old enough to make their own decisions, you know? It's their lives. We have no business in it."

"You sound just like my dad," Sam wrinkled her brow.

"Just telling the truth."

"Mmhhh," the girl flared her nostrils, lifted her gaze, and then caught sight of the exact moment when, now fully awake, Pepper smiled widely at something Tony was whispering to her. The scene was just too surreal for her, seeing as her sister had never acted so affectionately or submissive around anyone else before. Yet, it was happening; it was truly taking place, and had the couple been anyone else, Sam would have found the interaction to be rather sweet.

Pepper was still sitting on Tony's lap, her legs across him, the right side of her body pressed against his chest. Her eyes were closed, but the smile on her face gave away her conscious state. Her left fist rested near his shoulder, while her right arm was pinned between her body and his; and her torso was bundled up in such a way that it appeared as if she was curling up against him.

For his part, Tony's arms still surrounded her, and his head was thrown forward and down; his lips alternating between whispering and brushing and kissing her forehead. Samantha could not make out his words from this distance, but it was clear, even to the blind, that whatever the boy was telling his girlfriend, had to be words of love.

 _Love._

Did Tony Stark actually _love_ Pepper Potts?

Was this truly more than just a fling?

Had she been going about her entire plan in the wrong way?

The evidence before her proved that she was.

Anger, jealousy, or petty fights were not what broke the bond between couples – or at least not ones that were as established as she was just now realizing the power couple appeared to be. No. It was not the most basic instincts of humans that dissipated strong connections amongst the ones we loved. It was the more complicated ones. The truly valuable ones. The ones that took a long time to build and only seconds to lose.

If she wanted to succeed in her plans, she had to use the one tool she had to her advantage: knowledge of Pepper's past. And she had to exploit the one feeling that allowed all the others to start and flourish into something more. The one thing that, once given and lost, it was almost impossible to earn back.

Trust.

She just had to make them break each other's trust.

 _That_ , she could do.

 _That_ , she was good at.

Simply because, as it turned out, Pepper Potts had, long ago, broken Samantha's trust.

And it was always easier to do onto others, what _they_ had done to _you_.

* * *

 **A/N:** Soooo, Sam was hurt by Pepper in the past. Will this inspire some sympathy for the poor girl?


	13. Chapter 12

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thank you for the favorite/follows:** _Voltronfan22_.

 **Helleinneeeee: Sober pedals why you not updating ur fanfic girl I know ya comment here so I'm trying to get to you ! ;/** \- HAHAHAHA! Does it help if I say that I'm always asking her to update, too? _A Heart of Dust and Gold_ is amazing. I mean, _all_ of her fics are great, but that particular one has a special place in my heart :) So, yeah. I agree: UPDATE, GIRL! ;)

 **Anna: Um I think not , yeah pepper hurt you but she's your sister , all she ever did was protect you so yeah I have damn sympathy for her crazy ass** \- LOL! What if I told you that Pepper DID do something that could be considered terrible to Samantha? DUN, DUN, DUN! :P

 **Jennifer: The chapter was amazing and I loved it defo ! Keep going ;) love allie ;)** – Thank you, Jennifer! ^_^ Here's more!

 **Guest: Update please** – Your wish is my command ;) Thank you for reading and reviewing!

 **A/N:** This chapter is dedicated to one of my Faithful Readers, _MyCaptainsSwan_. I know I said I understood why you had to go, but that doesn't mean we wouldn't love for you to join us again, when you can. We (me and my hubby, and I'm sure your pals here, too) hope to see you back here again one day :)

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

Pepper tasked herself with taking out from her locker the books she needed for her first period class, keenly aware that her boyfriend was yet to leave her side and was silently watching her every move. He had been beating himself up since last night, when he had been unable to help her in time during a mission, and she had been hit square in the face by one of an AIM's Beekeeper's laser gun attacks. The suit had taken most of the damage for her, but her cheek had still developed a nasty bruise due to the great force of the impact – one that had pressed the armor roughly against her skin. It had not been as noticeable when they had gone to the Temple at 2 AM to debrief after the mission, but when he had picked her up this morning at her doorstep, he had not been able to stop himself from scrutinizing the injury and cursing aloud.

The redhead had assured him, multiple times on their walk to school, that she was fine, and that the bruise just happened to look worse than what it really felt. However, when Samantha had let it _slip_ that Pepper had spent the night with a bag of ice attached to her left cheek, and that she had taken a handful of aspirin to try to ease the pain, Tony's feelings of guilt had gone through the roof.

"I guess you're going to the Reed Richards thingy today during Science class?" Pepper asked as she closed the door to her locker and faced her crestfallen boyfriend once again, hoping to change his somber mood.

"Yeah," Tony dejectedly replied, his eyes on the floor. "I guess I am."

"It's really exciting, right?" she beamed at him despite the fact that _exciting_ was not a word she typically associated with any science whatsoever. "You may have the chance to talk to him in person this time around, now that you've been accepted to MIT. That can even be your conversation starter, you know? I mean, above the typical: _Hey, I'm Tony Stark! I'm freaking smart and rich!_ _Oh, and I'm also Iron Man!_ line."

The ginger's attempt at humor was clearly not well-received by the boy, but her small smile never faltered as she searched his blue eyes with her hazel ones, and then used her left hand to redirect his face towards hers.

"Hey," she grinned when he finally stared at her despite the pain the gesture caused to her cheek, the left side of her mouth, and her lips.

"Hi," he replied in a deflated tone.

"Oh, come on, Tony," Pepper rested both of her palms on his chest. "Cheer up, OK? It's gonna be great! You'll get to hear more talk about… giant black holes and… things that come out of them that shouldn't, and… of galaxies that are far, far away, I guess?"

Tony scoffed. "It's not _Star Wars_ , Pepper."

"You know what I mean," she rolled her eyes and shrugged off his technicality of a response with a wave of her right hand. "Don't let this," she pointed at her bruised cheek, "Ruin your day, OK? It's not ruining mine, so it sure as heck shouldn't ruin yours."

The inventor's face fell even more when he stared at her bruise for the millionth time. It appeared to him as if the darned spot grew even bigger and became even more multicolored and prominent every time he laid eyes on it. It was mocking him, quite literally, and if he knew he would not be called crazy for saying it, he would tell the bruise to stop _laughing_ at him right now.

"Tony, please," her tender words made him return his gaze to her orbs. "I don't want to see you like this. Especially not over something that was bound to happen eventually. It's what we do, right? I didn't have _my eyes on the prize_ , that's all. I will, next time."

"But, Pep," his hand carefully ran down her swollen cheek, but he then snatched it right back when she failed at hiding her flinch. "Sorry," he gulped, silently berating himself for causing her even more pain, "But, how could I _not_ feel like dirt about it? Look at you! I… you… you got hurt while I was right there, close to you. You got hurt and it's all my fault."

"Your fault?" Pepper shook her head. "Don't be silly, Tony. It is what it is. I wouldn't change being out there with you, fighting alongside Iron Man, for the world!"

"But–"

"No. No buts allowed," she crossed her arms over her chest.

"However–"

"Nuh-uh!" she stuck her nose in the air.

"What if–"

"Nope!" she shook her head from side to side and then grabbed both of his hands in hers.

"Pepper…" he groaned.

"Tony…" she mockingly groaned back.

The redhead stood on her tiptoes, balanced herself by continuing to grab his hands, and then practically pressed their noses together. She allowed herself to get lost in his electric blue gaze, and she could see and feel that he was doing the same with her hazel eyes. They remained like this for almost a minute: motionless, close to each other, and gazing at each other's windows into their souls; breaking the moment only when Pepper suddenly scrunched up her nose and began hoping from one foot to the other.

"My toes are getting tired. I think they're dead now. Gotta wake them up before class! It was just a minute of tiptoeing, anyway. What gives? How could they go numb already? Ugh, I must be getting old! Are you gonna be OK now?"

Tony could not hold back the wide smile that watching her hop around while asking too many questions caused him. She was trying to rid her feet from the feeling of numbness that had accumulated there while she had been standing on her toes to be face-to-face with her worrisome boyfriend, but recovery time was taking longer than expected. She spared her feet a glance as she wiggled her toes inside her shoes, her narrowed eyes almost silently threatening her limbs to cooperate, and she then returned her attention to Tony when she heard him chuckle lightly.

"Oh, man!" Tony laughed louder this time, earning him a confused look from his girlfriend, whom he now held close to him by her waist.

"What?" she furrowed her brow, "What's so funny?"

"You, Pep!" he threw his head back in laughter and then kissed her forehead when he noticed that she was starting to get annoyed by his teasing. "You're so great. And I so l–"

"Hey, guys!" Samantha waved her hand at the couple from her position a few feet away from them, leading the two-person parade of her and Rhodey towards their current location. Both the inventor and the redhead vigorously waved back, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary between them, yet Tony silently cursed at the confession that had almost escaped his lips. He _did_ want to tell Pepper that he loved her, there was no doubt about that, but he did _not_ want it to sound as if he was joking or simply pulling her leg.

Above all, though, he really wished he would stop getting interrupted when he tried.

"Ready for the Reed Richard's symposium today?"

"Sure," Tony replied after stealing a furtive glance at his girlfriend, half-expecting her to look distraught or miffed by the interaction between him and her sister, but the smile on her face told him otherwise.

"See, Tony?" Pepper elbowed the boy. " _That's_ what you should be thinking about! Not about my cheek!"

"Why your cheek?" Samantha furrowed her brow for a second, and then rolled her eyes and pointed at the redhead. "Oh! Because of that little bruise? Puh-lease! That's nothing!"

"See? Nothing. Little bruise. Insignificant," Pepper said with a nod, surprised that she was seeing the day that she would find herself agreeing with something her sister said, especially to Tony Stark.

"That _is_ insignificant," Samantha agreed, "Nothing compared to the bruises you were given almost every day when growing up, huh, Pepper? _Those_ were real nasty bruises. That one there is a joke!"

And just like that, after a sharp inhale on Pepper's part, the redhead realized that she had spoken too soon.

"Every day bruises? Nasty bruises?" Tony arched a single eyebrow. "Who gave you bruises every day when growing up, Pep?"

"Our–"

"CAT!" Pepper interrupted her sister and then laughed nervously, her right hand rubbing the back of her head. "Mr. Kibbles. I've told you about him, remember? The mean cat I adopted when I was ten? The one Black Panther reminded me of?"

Tony narrowed his eyes at her, clearly not buying her panicky response, but he was not given the chance to ask anything else.

"Anyway," Pepper cleared her throat. "Class. Gotta go. Bye, bye! Enjoy the science talk! GO SCIENCE!" she pumped her fist in the air too excitedly at the last part, earning her curious glances from students nearby. "Hehe," she laughed timidly, her shoulders partly hunched, and she then waved off the stares, "See you later!"

The inventor's eyes narrowed even more as he watched the ginger all but run down the hall and around the corner, clearly trying to do anything possible to avoid providing an honest response to his last inquiry. He then immediately locked eyes with Rhodey, a quizzical look on his face, but his childhood friend simply shrugged in response.

"Don't look at me, man. I understand her less than you do."

"You're the one that knew she would hide in the closet," Tony replied.

"Yeah, because I've _seen_ her do it before. Not because I happen to own a _Pepper Manual_."

"So much for not letting each other get hurt, huh, Tony?" Samantha tapped her chin with her right index finger, as if she was simply thinking aloud.

"What?" Tony snapped.

"I told Rhodey I was worried about you two getting hurt or into trouble, especially when Pepper spent the night at your place last weekend. Rhodey agreed that you two were very reckless, but he also said that you wouldn't let anything hurt the other, if you could help it. I guess you couldn't help it this time around, right?"

"I-I… well…"

Tony wanted to say that there was nothing he could have done to prevent Pepper's injury, but he was not certain of this himself. Besides, the item in question was not about what he could have done to stop Pepper from getting hurt, or the conversations she and Rhodey had about them on the side. It was now a matter of finding out why the injury was deemed relatively insignificant for the redhead.

"What… uhm…" Tony cleared his throat, "What about the bruises you said she used to get? I'm sure as heck a measly cat didn't cause them."

"You mean she really hasn't told you?" the brunette looked back and forth between the two male teens, a smile of realization slowly forming on her face.

"Told me, what?" Tony asked.

"I guess she doesn't trust you that much," Samantha said with a shrug, her eyes looking at the floor, pretending to be speaking more out of surprise than out of seeking personal gain with the situation at hand.

"Pepper trusts me," Tony said, a tone of aggravation evident in his voice.

"Then trust her and stop asking her questions she doesn't want to answer," Rhodey intervened, knowing very well how Tony could easily become obsessed trying to find out things he wanted to know but was not privy to.

"But–"

"T, we all have secrets," Rhodey began swapping books from his locker himself. "Let it go, man. Let her be."

"Rhodey's right," Samantha began, "She'll tell you when she trusts you enough to do so. I mean, how long did it take _you_ to tell her you are Iron Man? Probably several months, right? And it was probably really hard to do, too. It's your turn to wait, Tony."

"Uhm…" Rhodey's discomfort with the sore topic was obvious. "Yeah… I'm just gonna…" he lazily pointed at the opposite side of the hall that Pepper had rushed towards. "So… cough… right… bye…"

Even though the first tardy bell followed Rhodey's words, neither Tony nor Samantha moved from where they stood – one due to shock, and the other due to mischief.

"Anyway," Samantha began walking away, "We better get to–"

"You know," Tony's words were more of a statement than a question. "You know about the bruises, don't you?"

"Well, of course I do. We're sisters, remember?"

"So you'll tell me."

"What?" Samantha had to force herself to hold back a smile of victory. "No! Why would I tell you? If you want to know, ask her."

"I did," Tony grabbed her arm. "And now I'm asking you. I want to know. Right now."

"We have class," she pointed out when the second warning bell rung.

"Then we'll skip it," the inventor swapped his hold of her arm to grab her hand, and began pulling her away with him.

"Are you serious? You want us to skip class? What if we're found out? I don't want to go to detention again!"

"Nobody will know."

"How?"

"I'm Iron Man," Tony replied. "I can do whatever I want. No one will wonder where we are."

Luckily for him, nobody would question the current whereabouts of the hero, thinking him being out and about on yet another mission. Sadly for him, however, hazel eyes watched from afar as the blue-eyed boy walked the hall towards the stairs that led to the roof, hand-in-hand with the petite brunette in tow.


	14. Chapter 13

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Guest: Amazing chapter loved it soooo much ;)** – Thank you! This is a much nicer chapter. I think you'll love it even more :D

 **MARIO: AMAZEBALLS STORY! Hope the next chapter is put up soon!** – LOLZ! I love that word now: amazeballs. I'mma start using it more. Thank you for the review :)

 **Kyii: Yes yes UPDATE** – I have a feeling I'm being stalked :P Sorry this took so long to post. I had half of the chapter done one the weekend, and the other half done by Wednesday, but my hubby wasn't around to proofread it for me. Hope the wait was worth it ^_^

 **Allie: Omg whyyyyy where's the update ?** – Here it be! ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

This was awkward for him; to say the least. Very difficult, in fact. But he knew he had to endure. For the sake of his best friends, he had to bear the duty that had been bestowed upon him, the moment he realized what Tony had done.

He knew he had to keep her company and act cool and nonchalant. He knew she was out of the loop right now; much, much, much more than he was himself. He was not sure of the details yet – or anything at all, actually, other than knowing that bringing up with Pepper the news that Tony and Samantha had skipped their first two class periods of the day and had spent them together in who-knew-where doing who-knew-what, was not how Rhodey wanted to spend his lunch.

Oh, yeah! Then there was _that_!

It was lunchtime at the Academy already, and Tony was not here right now. And he would probably not be seen for a while either, at least until _after_ school was done for the day. Perhaps not even then.

Tony, through Sam's efforts, had gotten the chance to meet Dr. Richards during the third period science symposium on campus; just like Pepper had suggested he did in the morning, and he and Sam were now excused from going to class for the rest of the day. Dr. Richards had been so impressed by the brunette's and blue-eyed boy's understanding of his lecture's highly-advanced topics and of their science know-how, that he had requested more time to speak with them. Principal Nara, recognizing an opportunity to increase the reputation of the school when he saw one, had not even batted an eye at the request.

As wonderful and unique as the experience was, Pepper could not help but feel left out. She was happy for her boyfriend's good fortune, as he had needed a major pick-me-up today, but she was also worried about what Tony being alone with Samantha could mean for her… and for their relationship. She did not want to get ahead of herself, or succumb to paranoia: at the end of the day, she trusted Tony's commitment to her. He had made it clear to her, on multiple occasions, that he was with the person that he wanted to be with – even if that person could not tell the difference between the mass and the weight of an object.

Yes. Pepper trusted Tony. Wholeheartedly. She really, really did.

But her sister, she did not trust.

At all.

She just could not find it in herself to trust that something good would come out of Tony spending time with her. How could she trust her own sister, actually, when the moment she had turned her back, Samantha had tried to put on her armored suit? What could she do to her boyfriend, if given the chance to be alone with him?

Nope. No, siree. As far as Pepper Potts was concerned, her sister could not be trusted with anything – not even with watching a dead worm.

And this was _without_ her knowing that Tony had already spent most of the morning with her sister, behind her back.

How was she going to react, when she found out?

Rhodey could only wish that, when it happened, he was nowhere around.

 _Hope you know what you're doing, man_ , Rhodey thought with resentment, the corner of his left eye staring at a crestfallen Pepper sitting next to him on the roof of the Academy, her food untouched, while already thinking about what he would tell his friend the next time he saw him.

Or, more accurately, _where_ his foot was going to land on the inventor.

xxxXXXxxx

How was he supposed to tell her that he _knew_?

Was he even _supposed_ to tell her that he knew?

How was he even to start that conversation?

He doubted that confessing to her that he was told by Samantha about how their mother beat her up while still a child would go well, no matter how he tried to bring up the topic. It was obvious to him now that this was an extremely sore spot for his redhead – one that she had not wanted to talk about, even with him, no matter how much he was dying to confront her about it.

" _It's… it's just such a long story. And I don't want to talk about it… yet. Or ever."_

 _Tears began showing up again, and she closed her eyes once more._

" _I want to tell you. I do. But I don't know how… because I'm not ready yet. And-and you didn't deserve what I did to you yesterday. You still don't deserve it. Never will. You just don't. I… I'm sorry, Tony. I'm so sorry!"_

Tony sighed at the memory, her actions becoming much cleared to him now.

It was not so much that he wanted to know why she had not trusted him enough to tell him about her rough childhood – it was more of him wanting to know if she still felt affected by it. It was more about him wanting to help.

 _She must be reliving it now_ , he thought with sadness. _I mean:_ _who wouldn't?_

It all made sense now, why she had been shocked to her core when Samantha had shown up in her living room. Why she had been hiding in the Academy's closet and why she had been so pensive and on edge for days.

Yes, the sisters had a bitter past that was yet to be mended, but seeing the brunette had very likely also brought back memories of her violent childhood – memories he was certain that she had never wanted to think about again. Even if Samantha had never laid a finger on Pepper, seeing her sister again was probably enough to make Pepper feel personally attacked, encroached upon, unappreciated and, well… like utter dirt.

Because, what else would a child that young think when being hit by the one person on the planet that is supposed to protect you from harm at all costs? What is one so young to think when your own mother uses you as a way to release her anger at the world? What would one think of their sibling, if you were beat up almost every day and they were untouched?

How had his Pepper turned out to be as cheerful as she was, despite the abusive environment she had been a part of, way back when? How had she become such a caring person, one who was able to see the best in everyone, despite their flaws? Like she had done so for Gene? For the Hulk? For him?

He honestly had no freaking clue. And he so desperately wanted to find out.

But, more importantly, he wanted to be able to wipe out her memories of it. He wanted to go back in time and make it so that she never had to hurt, or at least not hurt alone. And if he ever met her mother, he would…

 _Pepper_ , he sighed for the umpteenth time, his fists shaking both in anger and in powerlessness; hoping that he had another opportunity to find out more about her life – more about what he could do to make it all better for her. Even if it was not from her. Even if he did so behind her back. Even if she had no idea that what he did about it from now on was all for her.

He did not want to lie to Pepper about what he now knew. But he also did not want to hurt her by forcing her to talk about something so painful about her past. He felt caught between a rock and hard place; caught between breaking her trust and possibly losing her because of it, and keeping quiet and hoping he did not lose her if she ever figured out why his behavior around and towards her had suddenly changed.

Because it was. It _was_ going to change.

Because if there was something he wanted to make sure Pepper knew without a doubt was that, for him, she was the most precious thing he had in this world.

 _His_ world.

And that no matter how unworthy her mother had once made her feel, she was worth everything to _him_.

So much so that he was now sneaking inside her bedroom through her window, in the middle of the night; quite possibly risking his reproductive system being shot to pieces by a very angry Virgil Potts.

But he had not been able to help it. He just _had_ to come see her. Right now. He had not seen her since the beginning of the day, _yesterday_. And he could not wait six more hours to see her again.

She had walked home from school, all by herself, per Rhodey's angry recounting of the facts, because the genius had not finished his talk with Dr. Richards until an hour ago – Samantha having come home several hours before he had been able to tell the good scientist goodbye.

Pepper, _his_ Pepper, had walked home alone. And by golly, Tony Stark would make sure she never had to do that ever again!

He retracted the armor into its backpack form and carefully laid it on the floor, near the only window in her room. The lights were off and she was fast asleep, but he could see the outline of her figure under the covers just fine. He had memorized the inner workings of her room a long time ago, anyway – shortly after they had begun dating and she had invited him home for date night, so he was easily able to find his way to her.

He gave her a minute to realize someone was lying behind her, her back against his chest, and hoped against hope that she did not kick his butt, momentarily thinking that a burglar – or a stalker – had just climbed onto her bed.

"Tony?" her groggy voice made him smile.

"Yeah, it's me," he whispered his response and snaked his right arm around her waist, pulling her even closer to him. Her warm skin radiated an inviting heat through her thin night shirt, making his torso and arms tingle at the touch. She smelled of strawberries, a scent that emanated from her shampoo, he knew, which was rather ironic in and of itself, seeing as she was actually _allergic_ to said fruit.

The redhead frowned, turned around in place to lay on her right side and face her boyfriend, and then proceeded to repeatedly poke his cheek with her left index finger.

"Hey," he chuckled at the gesture but did not stop her finger. "What gives, Pep?"

"Just want to make sure I'm not dreaming again."

Tony's eyebrows rose.

"Again? You mean you've dreamt about me being here?"

Realizing what had escaped her lips, she covered her mouth with both hands, her tiny gasp of embarrassment becoming a source of further amusement to him.

"It's OK," he pulled her hands away from her face and kept them in his. "I… I dream about that, too."

"Oh," she gulped loudly in nervousness, but still felt slightly relieved at hearing his admission. "Is that… is-is that why you wanted the bet to be… us doing _this_ … at your place?"

He smirked, recalling how he had previously suggested that, the next time they fell asleep together, they did so on his bed, alone, and at night. Back then, he had been trying his luck, and he had accidentally hit the jackpot. This time, he felt surer of himself, his actions, and his words – bolder, perhaps; all due to the growing sense of comfort he experienced when he was with her. This time, his previous embarrassment at asking for such an intimate action from her was completely gone; all of it replaced by his need to make good on his promise to somehow undo the damage done to her while growing up.

"Yeah," he rubbed the back of her hands with his. "And now, it's your turn to host our sleepover… if you'd like."

"Oh? Really? Yes… but… I mean… We, uhm… we can't make a lot of noise here. My dad's home."

"Don't worry," he threw her arms over his shoulders and leaned closer to her, "I was planning on talking until we fell asleep, _after_ making out … unless…"

"Unless… what?"

"Unless we _just_ make out."

Pepper smiled and closed her eyes, her heart fluttering at his words.

Yup. She had nothing to worry about. Tony was truly interested in her.

"I would love to stay up with you for a while again…" she opened her eyes again, " _If_ we didn't have a test tomorrow."

"We do?" Tony's head recoiled.

"Yup. Science class."

"Oh. Man. Darn."

"Yeah. Darn."

"Mmhhh," he playfully nudged her nose with his, "Didn't plan for that. When was this test announced?"

"Today."

"Ah! That explains it."

"Yeah. While you were drooling over Dr. Richards, I was groaning at finding out about this stupid test."

"Huh. How did you know that I was drooling?" he teased and she giggled, earning her a wide, satisfied smile from him before his face turned mildly stern.

"But seriously, did you study, Pep? Maybe we should fly back to my place and cram for it?"

"Nah, I'll be OK."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I know enough. Thanks."

"OK. As long as you're sure."

"I am," she said with confidence before she surprised him with what she had intended to be just a quick peck on his lips to thank him for his offer to help her study, but he instantly turned it into something a lot longer and deeper than that. They had both discovered, a few nights ago, how much easier it was to lose themselves in the cascade of emotions brought on by making out when they did not have to worry about keeping their balance while they were standing, or about having to hide from prying eyes when all they wanted was a moment of peace and quiet for the both of them.

When they finally parted, they did so for only a few inches, both still too entranced in the overwhelming sense of having their skins brushing together while breathing the same air.

"Sooo… is that a _yes_?"

"A _yes_? For what?"

"Me staying tonight?"

Pepper scoffed. "What do you consider a _no_? Me beating you up?"

The inventor immediately flinched at her words, Samantha's confession returning to him in an instant. He knew that Pepper's comment had been meant to be a joke. Nothing more; nothing less. Yet now, any insinuation of Pepper being involved in any type of physical violence – even on the delivering end – would forever trigger a worry response in him.

"You OK?" Pepper frowned.

"Yeah, why?" he pushed back his grim thoughts.

"You made a face?"

"Oh," he one-side shrugged. "Yeah. My bad. You just reminded me that your face still has a bruise. I forgot. I hope I didn't hurt you just now?"

"You didn't," she beamed. "Or, if you did, that's not what I was thinking about right now."

"Oh? What _were_ you thinking about then?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out," she winked at him and he felt his heart skip a beat.

She then waited a second before she turned in place to get right back to sleep, but she was once more surprised by his next move.

"Challenge accepted, Pep," he whispered into her right ear. "And I _never_ lose."

He silently enjoyed the goosebumps his words had caused her.

 _Yup_ , she smiled, eyes closed. _Nothing to worry about._


	15. Chapter 14

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Lara: ;(** \- ^o^

 **Firina: Loved the chap ;) glad you finally updated** – Thank you! Here's another, very overdue update… Hope you love this one too!

 **Allie: Amazing update please !** – Thanks! Sorry about the delay :(

 **Arizell: Oml I need the next chap :/** \- Here it be ^_^

 **Miss geek: Ohhh crapppp why do I get the feeling this is the calm before the tornado I say tornado because there is never just a storm with Pepper Potts. he knows she will find out and tony needs a little heartbreak for going behind her back come on plsssss with sugar coated strawberries love those sorry off track pls update soon** – coughcough… tornado… uhm… how about dust devil? XD

 **A/N:** Soo... anyone wondering where the heck have I been? Remember how I said, long ago, that the summer time is crazy where I work? It finally hit me like an anvil… and I thought I was going to lose my job. Long story short: someone dropped the ball big time and blamed me for it. It took two weeks for the truth to come out, but it kept me busy as heck while it did. I'm praying that the craziness dies this week and that I can get my weekends and afternoons back. I NEED TO WRITE! I'VE MISSED YOU ALL! I'M SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY!

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

"What happened to Mr. Kibbles?"

"Mom killed it."

Tony's head snapped to his right to stare at Samantha with a frown of incredulity.

"She, what?"

"Killed. It," the brunette enunciated. "She didn't like animals."

"Then why did she let Pepper adopt him?"

"It was Dad's idea," Sam shrugged. "He said it was OK. Mom wasn't too happy about it."

"Huh."

Tony rested the back of his head against the wall by which he and Sam hung out while everyone else finished the test in Science class. Within ten minutes of starting, both the genius and the youngest Potts sister had finished the test, giving them the option of leaving class early for the day. Knowing that their free period and lunch followed, Tony had made his way to the roof, the girl in tow. He had been looking forward to spending more alone time with Pepper today, but sooner than he had realized, his attention had been redirected to learning more about Pepper's life through the teen.

"Your mom sounds charming," Tony's tone was not only sarcastic, but it was also full of hate. The more he found out about this woman he had never met, the more he wanted to see her in person to tell her exactly what he thought about her and her continued existence on this planet.

"She's a total pleasure to be around," Samantha added with a roll of her eyes. "How about yours? What was your mom like?"

Tony's face briefly darkened at the thought before he lazily shrugged.

"Don't remember much. But she definitely didn't kill my cat. If I ever owned one."

"Lucky you," Sam scoffed. "Rich, smart, _and_ had live pets. Didn't _you_ win the _awesome life lottery_ , Tony Stark."

Tony flared his nostrils in amusement and he smirked.

"You sound just like Pepper sometimes, you know that?"

"We share genetic material, you know that?"

Tony shook his head, smiled, and then elbowed the girl in a playful manner. "I rest my case."

"Oh-oh!" Sam wiggled her fingers in excitement. "I _so_ have to tell you something! You're gonna freak!"

"Am I?" Tony furrowed his brow.

"YES! Yesterday, on my way back home, I walked by a science exhibition at a bookstore and saw this!"

The petite girl tapped her phone's screen a few times until she found the picture she was searching for. Once she blew it up to full screen, she proudly shoved the screen into Tony's face.

"See?"

"No," Tony grabbed her small wrist in his right hand and then pulled back her arm ever so slightly until the image on the cell phone's screen was at a distance that allowed him to make sense of what he was seeing. It took him a couple of seconds to react, but once he did, he literally jumped to his feet and took the brunette with him.

"YES! I KNOW!" Sam squealed, her wide grin reflected on the inventor's face.

"This weekend?" he pulled her closer to him to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him. " _THIS_ WEEKEND?"

"YUP!" Sam nodded eagerly. "And I got the last two tickets! Wanna come with me?"

"Absolutely!" his response was out before he had a chance to process it, his eyes now focused on the pair of tickets the girl waved before him. "I'm there!"

"Cool! Pick me up at my place?"

"Sure."

"Alright!" Sam beamed. "I've never met Dr. Pym in person. But one day, I'm gonna work for him."

"Really? You want to work for him?"

"What?" Sam frowned. "Don't you think I'm smart enough?"

"Oh, no, I know you are," Tony placed his hands on either side of his head in a placating gesture. "Not implying that at all. After hearing you talk to Dr. Richards yesterday, you're officially the smartest girl I know."

"Ooh," Sam felt her cheeks burn. "T-Thanks."

"I'm serious, Sam," Tony patted her right shoulder. "Just make sure you use your gift for good, not evil."

"W-w-well of course!" she hated sounding so flustered, but she could not help it. Tony was standing just a foot away from her, his darned charming smile aimed at her. "Unless evil pays a better salary and offers fully-subsidized medical benefits, that is."

This time, the genius laughed aloud.

 _Yes_ , Tony smirked, thinking about his redhead. _Samantha and Pepper are more alike than they know._

"I've never met Dr. Pym, either," Tony sat on the ground once more and Samantha followed suit. "But I've sold a few inventions of mine to his company."

"Really? Wow!" Sam stared at the genius with wide eyes. "What did you sell them?"

"E-Bugs."

"E. Bugs?"

"They're nanities," Tony began, "Pym Tech focuses on molecular and atomic-based R&D. Their inventions are, obviously, too tiny to handle like any other life-sized device. It's hard to repair or troubleshoot them without dissembling or destroying them. So I made them nanities that are programmed to scan and repair their inventions from the inside."

"A-a-are you serious?" Sam's jaw dropped. "You created mini-robots to fix mini-machines?!"

"Yeah."

"That's… that's… wow… just… WOW! That sounds… wow! I mean, can you imagine expanding that capability onto the medical field? Bioengineering, even? That could change the way illnesses are treated. Especially terminal ones!"

"I…" Tony frowned. "I hadn't thought about that. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, we have CAT scans, X-rays, MRI machines, and all these other diagnostic-assisting devices, but they all work independently from each other, right? The doctors and surgeons still have to interpret the results and hope that what they see is what's there when they operate on someone. And sometimes, people don't get the treatment they need because it's too imprecise."

"Huh," Tony rubbed his chin. "I think I see where you're going with this."

"To the next logical step," Sam nodded sharply. "Input all this information into your _E-Bugs_ and let them get to work. They would have to be small enough to be injected into a person, but big enough to do what needs to be done. Can you imagine that? It would kick Nuclear Medicine's butt! No more lengthy and costly medical procedures or surgeries that may or may not work. No more: _Sorry! We can't operate on your back because we may leave you paralyzed if we mess up._ No more wait time. No more time for recovery after surgery or scars."

"No more unnecessary deaths," Tony whispered, almost absentmindedly at the memory of his mother. He then stared at his left palm, an idea suddenly coming to mind. "No more: _There's nothing that can be done_. Extremis… Extremis can do that… Extremis did that for me."

"Ex- _what_?"

"Extremis," Tony repeated, his eyes now on the girl's. "I… Has Pepper told you about me? About my heart?"

"About your… heart?"

"Yeah, I… the plane accident… I had a heart implant. A battery, essentially. It was an electromagnet. I had to recharge every few hours… I…"

Tony's vision clouded for a second, the events that had unfolded in the years after his father's supposed death still stirring strong emotions within him.

"Are you OK?"

"Yes," he gulped. "Yeah… I am… I… what was I saying?"

"Electromagnet."

"Yes! Electromagnet! I had it for almost two years. But then I found a cure for my heart. It's called Extremis. It's an attempt to recreate the same serum that made Captain America. It's unstable and dangerous in large quantities… the serum contains nanobots… it has healing capabilities. So I took a little bit of it to try to repair my heart."

"And, seeing as you're still breathing, I'm gonna say that it worked?"

"It did. It did more than just heal my heart. It enhanced my senses. It made me stronger. Faster. Smarter. And… it… well… I can talk… to computers."

Sam blinked rapidly several times.

"You… uhm… _what_?"

"Computers. I can interface with them. All digital and electrical technology actually. With my brain."

Samantha blinked rapidly again, stared at her phone in her hand, and then, without warning, threw it at Tony's face.

"OUCH!"

"Oh, crud! Are you OK?" Sam momentarily covered her mouth with her hands before she leaned forward to tend to a groaning inventor.

"What the heck did you do that for?" Tony rubbed his nose and left eye, where the cell phone had hit the hardest.

"I thought you said you could talk to technology!" Sam began checking on his face.

"I didn't say I had telekinesis!" Tony spat and then flinched when the girl's hand rubbed the sore spot on his nose.

"But you said you could _talk_ to tech!" she argued.

"I CAN! Ouch!" Tony closed his left eye when it began to sting.

"Then _why_ didn't you do anything to stop it?" Sam held Tony's head in place and shifted it from left to right to see the extent of the damage she had caused.

"What was I supposed to do? The phone doesn't have legs!"

"Well…" Sam swallowed hard, suddenly realizing how stupid her thought process of just now had been, but felt unwilling to accept the fault. "You-you could've told it to… to… to _vibrate_ the heck out of the way!"

Tony opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. What was he supposed to say to that, anyway? Even if such a thing were possible, how could he have made the phone vibrate enough in midair to avoid hitting him when it took less than a second to leave her hand and impact his face? It was such a silly reply; such an outrageous excuse.

 _Such a Pepper response._

Noticing the blush of pure embarrassment that had started forming on the brunette's face, the genius decided to let it go.

"It's OK," he pulled his face away from her hands and then looked towards the front. "It… it could've happened to anyone. I guess."

Samantha scoffed at his poor attempt at letting her off the hook for her rash action, and then rested her back against the wall once more; a disappointed sigh escaping her lips.

"I guess we aren't going out on Saturday anymore, huh?"

Tony silently stared at the crestfallen girl from the corner of his right eye. He felt a pang of regret for yelling at her. She had just been excited and confused. She really had not meant to harm him.

She was just like he had been at her age: too smart and too curious for her own good. And a complete social imbecile.

"We are," he replied. "We're _still_ going out Saturday. Nothing's changed."

"Really?" Sam's voice denoted her incredulity. "But, I just hit you with a phone!"

"So?" Tony one-side shrugged. "The plan's still on."

"Tony, I…" she gulped and looked down at her lap, her fingers nervously tugging at the hem of her blouse. "I… I see why Pep-people like you. Those that do, I mean."

"Because I let people beat me up with their phones and still hang around with them as if nothing ever happened?" he joked.

"No. Because… because you… you're very… kind."

"Not always."

"But when it matters, you are. Thank you."

Instead of replying, the inventor simply gave her a wide smile.

xxxXXXxxx

He had to admit it: he had had a blast today.

And he felt guilty about it. Especially now.

He had been very concerned and somewhat uncertain about his choice of hanging with Samantha Potts alone, once it had dawned on him what he had agreed to do; especially on a day that was typically reserved for spending time with Pepper. Nevertheless, the redhead had smiled at him when he had told her about it, and she had even encouraged him to attend the event. When he had asked her about it once more earlier today when he had gone to her house to pick up the brunette, she had again told him that it was alright. That she did not mind him going to a place where he could meet his other _Science Hero_. That it was OK for him to go with her sister instead of taking her out on a date, which they could do any and every other day off school.

Knowing Pepper, and despite her smile and the tight hug she had given him before he had left with Sam, he knew that something was off.

But he could not quite place what it was… yet. So he had pushed the probably ridiculous fear from his heart and head as soon as he had set foot at the convention he had attended today. Meeting Dr. Pym had been as amazing as he had expected it to be; perhaps even more amazing than spending the afternoon with Dr. Richards – of which neither opportunity would have happened this week if it had not been for Sam.

Samantha Alexa Potts who, as it turned out, was just a good person who had simply been treated badly while growing up. She had not been beaten up by her mother, like Pepper had, but Tony could not imagine seeing her sister being hit by their mother having no impact on her in some way.

The hope that Pepper and her sister patched things up returned to him once more and he smiled. He just wanted Pepper to be happy. He just wanted her to know how much her life was worth. He just wanted his redhead to love _her_ own life.

And _him_.

He also wanted her to _love_ him.

Tony stretched his arms above his head as he headed to his living room, tired from the day's activities. Just as it had been the case with Dr. Richards, he and Sam had spent a considerable amount of time talking to Hank Pym after the convention, sharing with him Samantha's application ideas for Tony's _E-Bugs_. The talk had led to a contract for _Stark Solutions_ , and both he and the brunette were going to work together to create a prototype for Pym Tech of the _EM-Bugs_.

Yes. Today had been a good day. And tomorrow he would invite Pepper over to spend the entire day with him at his penthouse; making this weekend a roaring success.

 _Pepper_ , his eyes fell on his _Stark Pod_ to see the time: it was two minutes before midnight. He had hoped to see his girlfriend when he dropped off Sam at their apartment, but Pepper had not been home. There had been no note and no text from her to tell him that she was going to be out. The armory was empty, and her suit was off. Whatever it was that she was doing at the moment, did not appear to be anything dangerous or crazy…

… or so he hoped.

He felt tempted to call her right now and ask her where she was. Maybe even trace her phone and just show up wherever she was hanging. Maybe she was with Rhodey, playing _Killer Kombat_. He knew how much she loved that game. And if she was indeed hanging out at the Rhodes' home and the night had fallen while still there, he knew Roberta would make her spend the night there instead of going back home, just as she would for him. That was just what the lawyer would do: care for her and the inventor as if they were her daughter and other son.

The genius remained silent, his eyes on the screen of his cell phone, weighing his options as he finally reviewed the notifications he had ignored throughout the day. He did not want to wake her up, if she was already asleep, but he doubted he would sleep if she was awake. He wanted to talk to her. Tell her about his day. Hear her voice. He wanted her to tell him about hers. He wanted to hear her ramble on and on. He wanted to make sure she was still OK with him having done what he had done. Perhaps ask her, straight up, what she had been trying to hide behind her smile and face.

Yet, when he read his next notification – a reminder he himself had set – and he noticed the current time and date, he realized what she had kept to herself.

 _NO! No, no, no, no!_

Their anniversary.

Today was… had been… their four-month dating anniversary.

And he had spent the entire day with someone else.


	16. Chapter 15

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thanks for the favorite/follow:** _xXPhoenix14Xx_.

 **Allie: Loved the chapter your stories are what I live for! ;) I hope everything calms down at your work place ! I understand it can get hectic:/ but nevertheless you don't disappoint ! Awaome chapter as always xxx** – Yes! These last three days at work have been normal, finally! The person who gave me hell is in DEEP trouble. Which means I can dedicate my weekends to updating my fics again! YAY! I think this chapter will probably be everyone's favorite for a while.

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 **Lilylol: When is the next chapter coming up ?** – NOW! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

It did not take long for him to find her current location – she was already nearby, where he had hoped she would be, given the special occasion. She had not told him that she was waiting for him – because he knew that she had not, as she had had no expectations of seeing him again until the next day, or maybe until Monday at school. But he had still found her in the same place where they had celebrated their previous three dating anniversaries without fail: the roof of Stark International, sitting by the edge of the building, watching the traffic and lights on the streets.

He approached her silently and with caution to keep from startling her right off the ledge. The last thing he needed was for his girlfriend to plummet to her death during their anniversary, on his account nonetheless.

Or ever, for any reason, actually.

He was almost right behind her, his arm outstretched towards her left shoulder, before her voice made him stop in his tracks.

"Did you have fun?"

He opened his mouth to retort, an automatic affirmative response burning at the tip of his tongue. But when he remembered that this answer would only make things worse for them, he cleared his throat instead.

"Don't lie to me, Tony. I know you had fun. It _was_ science after all. Nothing is more interesting to you than science."

"Why didn't you stop me?" Tony furrowed his brow. "Why did you let me go?"

Pepper scoffed, turned around in place, and then stood up from the edge of the building, her eyes everywhere but on his.

"You wanted to go. Plus, you and I… we've never been into asking each other permission to do what we want, right? We've never operated like that. We aren't about to start now, are we?"

Tony's shoulders deflated at realizing that she was right. He hated to admit it at the moment, but she was _absolutely_ right. This was one of the things he loved most about being with her: he never felt chained to her or limited on what he was "allowed" to do on his own (as long as it was not _too_ dangerous). He never felt forced to get her approval to be his own person. And he did the same for her. He never tried to stifle who she was for the sake of their relationship. Pepper was not the nagging girlfriend that demanded he spent all of his time with her. And even if it ever crossed her mind, Tony knew she did not have to resort to it: he could spend the rest of his life with her without a second thought.

"Pep… I… I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I… I-I forgot."

"I know," she shrugged, waved her right hand at him in a dismissive manner, and began walking towards her armor backpack. "It's OK. It's over. Nothing that can be done about it now. I'll see you Monday."

"Monday? What do you mean – No, Pepper! Please, wait. I just… wait a minute: did you say _it's over_? _What's_ over?" his panicked voice did not stop her from putting the backpack on, but his hands on her upper arms did halt her move.

"The day," she replied, her eyes staring at his chest. "Saturday's gone."

"But we're here now," he searched her eyes with his but she refused to face him. "Stay. Let's have a do-over. Stay with me tonight."

Any other day, the billionaire asking her to spend the night with him would have floored her; it would have made her feel butterflies in her stomach, and it would have also made her blush. Tonight, however, it only left her feeling emptier than ever. Conversations she had had with her sister about how Tony was just looking for someone to grope returned to her; the confidence she had had in her relationship with Tony, just days ago, was all but gone.

"Good night, Tony," she grabbed his hands and removed them from her arms, but he quickly turned the gesture around by tightening his grip on her hands.

"I'm sorry, Pepper. Please don't go. Let me make it up to you."

"I told you it's OK."

"It's not. It's NOT OK. I know that. I know I messed up."

"Forget about it."

"No. I can't. I let you down. I need to fix this."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do. Just tell me what you want, Pep. Anything."

"I don't want anything."

"No, you do. Do you want to hit me? You can."

"I don't want to hit you."

"Come on, Pep. Hit me. Yell at me. Tell me what you want. I'll do anything."

"Tony–"

" _Anything_ , Pep. I mean it. Just tell me what it is that I need to do to make it up to you."

"Let me go home."

"But that," he shook his head. "Not that."

"You said _anything_."

"But that. Anything _but_ that."

"Then don't tell me you'll do anything I want if you're not planning on keeping your word."

"Because I know that's not what you want. You want the same thing I want: you. Us. Time for ourselves."

"No," Pepper shook her head. "What you really want is someone who loves Science as much you do."

"This again?" he groaned. "That's not true, Pepper. I've told you before. This has _nothing_ to do with Science."

"It has EVERYTHING to do with it."

"No. It doesn't. This is just me being stupid and forgetting the anniversary of the start of one of the best things that has ever happened to me."

"And you forgot it because your first love, Science, invited you out on a date."

"No. I forgot it because that's just who I am," he rubbed her hands. "You know this, Pep. You've known me for a long time. You _know_ how forgetful I can be at times. But… but that doesn't mean my first love… it doesn't mean Science is more important than… than-than my new… love. Nothing is more important than my _real_ love."

Pepper's jaw dropped and her hands went limp in his. Her heart began beating too fast for her lungs to be able to catch up. Her eyes finally locked with his for the first time tonight. He was staring right back at her, clearly nervous at what his words had all but tactfully implied. He had said the magic word – had expressed that he felt the same way she did… but without hearing the actual three-word phrase she longed to hear coming from his lips, she refused to get her hopes up.

"T-Tony… what… what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that nothing – absolutely _nothing_ , Pepper, is more important to me than _you_. I'm saying… I-I-I'm saying that I… that I lo–"

" _Incoming call from: Samantha Potts."_

And just like that, another perfect opportunity had been lost.

Did the universe _really_ hate him this much?

"Look on your nightstand," Pepper said with finality as Tony's phone continued to ring while he desperately tried to silence it. "See you Monday."

"Pepper, wait!"

Before he could try to physically stop her, Rescue was gone.

xxxXXXxxx

She did not want to admit it, but she was terrified.

The moment she had received the 911 from Tony, her face had paled. He rarely used Team Iron Man's emergency code nowadays, even when out on missions on his own, which could only mean that he was severely injured and alone at the armory… or worse.

Their argument of the night before was still fresh in her mind, but it seemed so petty at the moment. She knew that she should have just told him what to do to make it up to her and get it over with, but she had been too hurt and disappointed to say the words. Besides, she knew that she had not been wrong when she had said that it was not in their nature to be like those couples that asked permission of the other to do something with other friends. Their relationship was more carefree than that. They were devoted to one another, but they were still their own person in their own right. Tony had no authority over what she chose to do with her time, and ultimately she owed him nothing. However, she also had to respect that she had no authority over what he chose to do with his time, and that he also owed her nothing.

The whole two-way street business sounded good in theory, but in practice, sometimes it really bit.

She was definitely feeling the chew right now.

"Tony?" she landed inside the armory with a thud, her faceplate having retracted the moment her body had swept inside via the exit chute. The armory was completely dark, and all the computers were off, sending the redhead into a total panic mode.

"Tony! Tony, where are you? TONY!"

She rounded the corner, headed in the direction of where the chamber that doubled as a living area was, and her heart almost stopped at what she saw.

It was all still dark, save for some very faint sources of light; one of which was currently being ignited by the inventor himself.

"Hey," the blue-eyed genius said, a small smile on his face, as he finished firing up the last candle that needed to be lit to finish his task, and then shook the match in his hand to put it out.

"Hey?" Pepper furrowed her brow, her eyes slowly taking in the scene. " _Hey_? What the… what… uhm… huh?"

"You like it?" he gestured towards the work that had taken him the rest of the night to make it happen. The table for two had dinner ready and served (even though it was early in the morning). The tablecloths were high-end, as were the silverware and dining ware. There were what appeared to be fireflies all around the room (but were actually modified _E-Bugs_ ), providing just a little bit more light than the candles on the table offered. Even the genius himself was dressed to match the occasion: with his best formal suit on.

"I… I-I… Tony… the emergency… the 911… I thought you were… that you were… you… _UGH_!"

She dropped her armor backpack on the floor and then stomped her way to him.

"How _dare_ you, Tony Stark!" she repeatedly poked him on the chest. "How DARE you scare me like that?! Do you know how alarmed I was? I thought I was gonna find you… find you… all over, and… and… I… I…"

"I know," his smile faded, seeing how upset she was, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes. "And I'm sorry. I know it was terrible of me… to lie to you. But I didn't think you'd come otherwise."

"Tony," she closed her eyes, sniffled, and then inhaled in short breaths when she felt his arms surrounding her lower back.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. She then felt his breath near her lips before he placed a chaste kiss on her cheekbone. "I'm sorry. For yesterday. For today."

"You," she gulped, her eyes still closed. "You didn't have to do this. Any of this."

"And you don't have to stay, if you don't want to. But I hope that you do. All of this… it's for you."

She slowly opened her eyes and then looked up to stare at his. Even though his face appeared to be serene and his posture was somewhat relaxed, she could easily tell that he was feeling uncertain and anxious. She knew him too well to ignore the telltale signs that he was afraid that she would leave him again. And she cared for him too much to do so once more.

She sighed in defeat and acceptance. She was not about to be ungrateful to him for all the trouble he had gone through for _her_.

"I… I'm not dressed for the occasion."

"Not that I care if you aren't," he shrugged, his hopes rising at seeing her go along with his little plan, "But if you do, there's a formal dress waiting for you inside the bathroom."

"Really?" her head recoiled. "You got me a dress?"

"Yes," he nodded. "And I think you'll really like it."

"I… I'm not into dresses, you know that."

"I know," he smiled. "But a dress is typically what contestants in _Breakdancing with Celebrities_ tend to wear."

"W-w-w-what?"

Instead of replying right away, Tony led the confused ginger to the bathroom and turned the light on. He heard her gasp loudly in surprise before she ran towards the dress, her eyes as wide as he had ever seen them on her. He watched her hands tremble while they glided over the fine red silk of the outfit, which matched the color and pattern of the tie he was currently wearing.

"Tony, this is… I mean… this must've cost you a–"

"Pocket change," he smirked. "What do you think?"

"I… I love it…" she beamed. "But… but why? I… I don't understand."

"Yesterday," he walked up to her as he spoke, "I spent the entire day doing what I like: Science, when I should've been spending the day with you. In a month, to make it up to you, you'll have the chance to do what _you_ like to do: dance. On national television. In _Breakdancing with Celebrities_ and… and I'd like the chance to be there with you."

"Huh?"

"Pepper," he held her face in his hands. "I owe you for yesterday. Big time. And for whatever other times in the future I know I'll mess up. I feel like dirt about it. I really, really do. About forgetting our anniversary. About spending the day with someone else. About being a bad boyfriend… And I need to make it better for you. Please let me make it up to you."

"And you… you-you want… you got us… you got us a spot on _Breakdancing_ for it? To make it up for yesterday?"

"To show you I meant it, Pep: YOU are the most important person in my life. I need you to know that. I need you to really get that."

"I…" she swallowed hard, got on her tiptoes, and breathed her response near his lips. "I get it now. I do, Tony. You… you're so sweet."

"Only with you," he smiled, pressed his lips against hers for a minute, and then picked her up in his arms; loving the way her arms swung around his shoulders for purchase, and relished the little giggles she made all the way back to the location of their date. He slowly returned her feet to the ground, pulled the chair out for her, and once he was sitting across from her, she realized there were two wrapped boxes in the middle of the table.

One of them, she recognized: it was the gift she had been saving up for months to get him and had planned on giving him yesterday, but had instead left on his nightstand when their anniversary had been botched. It appeared that he was yet to open it, which made her feel extremely nervous about it all over again. She was not sure how he would react to it; she knew it would be a big deal, but it was too late to take it back now.

The second, she had no clue what it was. Yet, given the circumstances, it was probably his gift to her for their anniversary – as if the dress, their romantic dinner, and the spot in _Breakdancing with Celebrities_ were not already enough.

"What do you say, Pep? Food first, gifts next?" the boy asked, a fork full of meat already making its way to his mouth.

"Sounds like a plan."


	17. Chapter 16

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thanks for the favorite/follow:** _Bystandereader_ , _The Wolf Raven_ and _Doc-LeeE_.

 **Riley J: Yes yes yes ! I loved it ;) –** I bet it won't compare to THIS one :D

 **apps: Yes..I am alive and really really sorry for not reviewing your stories... But now onwards will stay up!...well the chapter is the loveliest way of tony making up with pepper which I really didn't expected and quite indifferent... I re-read the chapter no of times to make myself believe what I am reading. As always kick off this Samantha from pepperony or else I will kill myself if any more screw ups!...update it asap...I am waiting... Lots of love and hugs to you dear!. …stay blessed! -** No worries! I'm just so happy that you're back! No! No killing yourself! Samantha is so not worth it! Especially after this chappie ;)

 **MARIO: STILL AMAZEBALLS! Hope life's treating you better now.** – LOL! It is! Thank you so much for the good wishes ^_^

 **Hope: You are truly an amazing writer! I just want to tell you how much I appreciate you! life can hit you like a ton of bricks to the face,I understand that, a few years ago my sister unexpectedly passed away and I felt alone and things don't go the way you want them the end life always has a way of making it up to you! As I started reading and enjoying my life writing skills are amazing and I have faith you will power through life and in the end you will be grateful and I admire your skills and bravery for not letting us down even when you feel the stress that is keep shinning ;) –** Hope, I'm so sorry about your sister. I too have a sister (the only sibling I have), and she's pretty much my best friend. I can't imagine what you went through when she passed. But I'm also glad that you are feeling better now, and I hope that I can play a part in the good times of your day. I think you're going to love this chapter. In fact, I wrote this chapter thinking of you ^_^

 **A/N:** Alright, my Faithful Readers! Buckle up!

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

Even hours after it had happened, he was still in awe; speechless – in a state of utter shock. It was not the _bad_ kind of shock, but it was still shock, nonetheless. Perhaps, _shock_ was not the correct word to use. Maybe it was something more akin to being amazed beyond belief.

Because he _was_ amazed. Touched. Almost unable to breathe.

He was in his customary sleeping attire – pajama pants, no socks and no shirt. His feet were resting on the coffee table of the living room area of his penthouse. The TV before him was on; broadcasting re-runs of _Breakdancing with Celebrities_. In his hands, he held Pepper's dating anniversary gift to him.

It was so fragile – just as he remembered it to be. This time, however, he was not going to make the same mistake he had made before. He was going to hold on tightly to her present – to the gold mine in his hands. It was never again going to slip from his grasp.

His gaze slowly moved from staring at the item in his hands to watching his redhead sleeping in his bed. She had been napping for a couple of hours now, exhausted from having very little sleep the night before and then being woken up by his 911 early this morning. She had been a trooper and had kept her tiredness to herself most of their day together until a little while ago, when he had caught her trying to keep her eyes open while watching a movie with him on the couch.

She had fought him tooth-and-nail, claiming that she was not sleepy, but her words had been slurred, her head had been on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around one of his, and her eyes had been closed. She did not complain when he had picked her up in his arms. She had not whined when he had placed her under the covers in his bed. And she had definitely not heard him speak when he had said it aloud to her that he loved her.

Because, really, who would not love this woman before him? He had already loved her before she had given him this gift. Now, he just loved her _that_ much more.

 _I can't believe she spent all her money on this. I can't believe she remembered!_

Then again, why would she not? Even if he had made every effort to downplay the significance of this item – the one he had once lost but was now replaced – if there was anyone who would have read his true feelings on the matter, it would have been her.

" _I accidentally broke it_ ," he had told her, months ago, when she had stumbled upon a picture of him, his mother, and the lost version of the gift in his hands. " _I never told my dad, though."_

 _"I bet it was very special to your mom, and to you."_

 _"Yeah, I guess," he said with what he hoped was a nonchalant shrug. "It was more her ornament than mine."_

He had not lied to her in stating the ornament belonged to his mother. But he _had_ given a lower profile to the significance the crystal figure had for him. His mother had always cherished it – it had been her favorite. So it had become his favorite, too. As a child, after she had died, he had felt connected to her through it.

But he had also been clumsy while grabbing it. He had not known it could break so easily. His tears had made his hands wet and slippery, and the crystal butterflies figurine had slid from his hold while sobbing for his departed mother. It had shattered into tiny pieces; scattered so much he had not been sure if he had found all of the parts when cleaning it up. And not even the great Tony Stark, at his four-years of age, had been able to piece it back together the way it was before.

That crystal ornament represented his mother's presence, from the beyond. And he had been careless enough to break it only weeks after she had left this world.

Yet now, this morning, when gift-opening time had come, his girlfriend had surprised him with a replacement for his cherished lost item – one of the few twenty that had been made and were available in the world. Even if she had not said it to him, he knew that she had spent a small fortune and a lot of time to track and secure the darned gift. Even if she had not told him to his face, he knew that she was aware of how much this item meant to him.

In a sense; a very metaphorical one, Pepper had just brought his mother back to him.

Or at least a more vivid memory of her.

Pepper Potts, his fiery redhead, truly did not know what she had just done for him.

xxxXXXxxx

 _"So, do you like it?" her big hazel eyes looked straight at his widened ones. "It's exactly like the one she used to have, right?"_

 _He was silent for a few moments as he stared at the valuable item, turning it over and over in his hands, his mind filling with numerous thoughts and emotions. She began to grow nervous as the seconds ticked by and he still gave no reply, although it was obvious that he was in deep thought and trying to contain a flood of feelings rushing through him, the nature of which Pepper could not discern, but feared would take away from the intent of her gift to him._

 _After nearly a minute, he seemed to clear his head and looked at her, smiling widely and genuinely. He set the gift down for a moment, grabbed her hands and drew her to him, delivering a fierce kiss to her lips that took her by surprise. When it ended, he pulled back slightly and looked deep into her eyes._

" _It's the greatest gift I've ever gotten from anyone," he hugged her tightly and she hugged him right back, relief and delight filling her. "Thank you, Pep. Thank you so much for this."_

xxxXXXxxx

He had to admit, he had not been sure how his response was going to go after he had unwrapped the gift. After those first brief moments of surprise and happiness had passed, a sense of melancholy and agitation had momentarily risen up within him as he began to question the whole thing.

While Pepper's intentions were sweet and honorable, did she not realize how badly her well-meaning gift could affect him? Having this ornament in his possession now would only further remind him that he had been responsible for destroying the original, the one that had actually belonged to his mother. It could not simply be replaced! And if he accepted it, he would feel as if he was dishonoring his mother's memory, as if _she_ could somehow be replaced as well.

Had this not occurred to Pepper at all?!

But as quickly as these thoughts and feeling had come, they were kicked out and replaced with more reasonable thoughts and warmer emotions. Of course Pepper had considered that he might feel that way by receiving a new version of his long-lost treasure. She possessed far too much emotional intelligence to have not known right away the negative side of getting him this gift.

Yet, she had gotten it for him anyway, because this was not meant to be a _replacement_ for his mother's ornament, or her memory. This was a symbol to acknowledge that he still cherished his mother's memory even without a physical talisman to tether those memories to, and that she understood those feelings and respected him for it. It was meant to show that the memories of his old life were still vital and strong, and that his current life was every bit as precious to him.

Pepper's gift to him was meant as a new symbol; not of a person, but of a bridge between what he had lost but not forgotten, and what he now had and could look forward to keeping on the road of life ahead of him. This object of shiny crystal now represented both of the extraordinary women of his life, the women who meant the most to him; its presence would always bring either or both to his mind, and remind him of how grateful he was for what he had – in the past, and now.

Though, in the back of his mind, he had to wonder: would Pepper have gone through the trouble of getting him this gift, if she had known how it had become Maria Stark's in the first place? Would Pepper have gotten him this gift, if she knew that this was how his father had asked his mother to marry him?

This ornament was not just very special to him because it had belonged to his mother. It had also been very special to his mother because it was proof of the bond his parents shared. Howard Stark had gotten the big question engraved at the base of the figurine, and had then waited for Maria to find it. When Tony had been told the story by his mother, he had been too young to understand the significance of it. But now that he knew the connection between love, marriage, and children (and where _children_ came from), it somewhat made the gift a tad awkward for him.

Then again, did children not typically come from being in a marriage, and marriage from being in love?

He did love Pepper. More than he was ready to admit to anyone yet – even to himself. But marriage and children… that was something else entirely.

Tony shook his head at the absurdity of his own thoughts. Pepper's gift was just a thing she thought it would nice of her to do for him. She was not sending him hidden signals or covertly asking him where their relationship was going. He knew her better than that. If the time came for her to wonder that of their relationship, she would just ask. And if she had to ask, then he knew he had failed to make things clear for her.

The inventor scoffed at how much he knew he was overacting over something as simple as an anniversary gift. He had gotten her, on top of his _apology_ gift of a spot for the two of them on _Breakdancing with Celebrities,_ an entire weekend at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, shadowing Nick Fury's work and receiving leadership training lessons from the man himself. She had gotten him a simple, crystal figurine of two flying butterflies.

Her gift had won.

But it was not a competition now, was it?

 _Certainly, not a close one._

He placed the fragile gift on the middle of the coffee table, making sure it would not have any chance to drop to the floor or break. He then stood up from the couch, walked up to his bed, and climbed into it behind his redheaded friend. She stirred a little bit, but did not open her eyes. It was not until she felt his arms surrounding her waist and his lips brushing against her neck that she showed signs of being awake.

"Time to go home?" she asked.

"No," he whispered his response. "Go back to sleep."

"What's the time?" Pepper looked back at him over her shoulder.

"Doesn't matter," he replied with a small smile and lightly pushed her head back onto the pillow.

"That means I should go," she giggled, having by now learned to read her boyfriend's vague replies.

"No, Pep," he kissed her cheek a few times.

"Tony, it's late," her eyes finally found a clock.

"Then stay," he pressed his body closer to hers and got comfortable enough to fall asleep with her in his arms.

"But, Tony, I… well… I-I–" she gulped in nervousness when she heard him moan her name and begged for her to stay. She honestly did not want to leave – she loved it here, but she knew it was not entirely appropriate to spend the night with her boyfriend whenever she downright felt like it. She could not help it, however. When they were here, they did not have to keep their voices down. When she was here, she could be herself, be as bubbly as she wanted to be, and not have to worry about her sister or father knocking on her door, ruining the sweet moments she always enjoyed in the company of her genius boy. Being here was a godsend. It was their little world away from the real world. It was all she wanted it to be… and more.

"I'm sorry, Tony. I really should g–"

"I love you, Pep."

He heard her gasp and then felt her tense up, but nothing else was said or done on her part for nearly a minute or so. He instantly felt regret at blurting the words so bluntly – at not making the confession a little bit more romantic for her. However, he knew that there was no going back now. The phrase was out in the open. His words had been clear as day. There was no mistaking his meaning and intention. There was no way to turn the situation around into something that was not what he had really meant.

Maybe it was too soon. Or maybe it was too late. Maybe it was not the right time. Or maybe it was the perfect time.

He would not know what anything was until she spoke again.

Except that she did not speak again. At least not right away.

She turned in place until she faced him, her eyes staring directly at his expectant ones, and his arms still surrounding her waist. She ran a hand down his face. She traced his lips with her fingertips, and she then pulled him down by his neck to press his lips onto hers. They exchanged a quick yet soft kiss, a tender caress of cheeks, all before she whispered the response he was hoping to hear from her.

"Tony: I love you, too."

The air in his lungs was suddenly not enough. The space between them was suddenly not small enough. Hearing the three words from her was a lot more impactful than saying the words himself. The entire exchange filled him with more hope, fulfillment and happiness than he had ever imagined it would bring.

Who would have thought? The man that had everything – that could buy or build anything, had just been given the two things he could never otherwise have: a way to honor the memory of his mother, and the returning affection of the woman that he loved.

And the cherry on top of all that?

That night, he found out what French kissing was all about.


	18. Chapter 17

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Hope: That was beautiful I cried a little ...lol and thank you so so much for being such an amazing person xx I read this on my birthday and it truly made my day, with all the pain I had today,reading this made me feel better xx all love.** – YAY! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! Glad I could help ^_^

 **apps: Finally... Tony made the world's prettiest confession... Really Romantic and want more of them!...Lots of love** – Apps! How are ya?! Tony's quite the charmer, huh?

 **Miss geek: Wow ok I know tony messed up but I still feel Samantha Aka wicked bitch of the west is still gonna do something plsss update soon** – ROFLMAO! _Wicked bitch of the west_ … HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I LOVE THAT!

 **AnimeGirl: SENPAI PLEASE UPDATE SOON FOR ME THIS IS IMAA SEASON 3** – Hai, hai! Gomenasai for the late update. But we'll have two back-to-back updates to make up for it ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

"And then we made out almost all night."

"Huh," Rhodey rubbed his chin with his left hand, wondering if the pizza Tony had invited him over to his place to eat was worth listening to this awkward conversation. "And you feel like you have to tell me the intimate things you and Pepper do on your own time because…?"

"Because you're my friend and I need advice?"

Rhodey sighed. "We need to find you more friends."

Tony put his hand to his forehead with a loud smack.

"Dude, seriously! You have to help me out. You think it's easy for me to tell you something so personal about me and Pep?"

"Seeing you just spent an hour telling me every single detail of your latest lovers' spat, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say: yes, it _was_ easy for you to tell me all about it."

"Ugh, Rhodey!" Tony rubbed his face and hair in desperation. "You're not helping me!"

"Fine," Rhodey threw his arms in the air. "Tell me. What do you want from me?"

"Advice," Tony enunciated the word. "I _just_ said it: advice."

"So, you wanna know where to buy protection for the next time you're alone with Pepper? Is that it? You can Google that."

"NO!" Tony's face turned red. "I want to know _how_ I can stop behaving like that around her! That's all I want."

"Oh," Rhodey's head recoiled. "You… you _don't_ want to make out with your girlfriend? You don't like her anymore? You better not be asking me how to break up with her, dude, because I _ain't_ getting in the way of Pepper repulsor-blasting you to next week."

Tony sighed and covered his face with his hands. This was not going as smoothly as he had hoped it would.

"It's not that at all, Rhodey," Tony's shoulders slumped and he blankly stared at his hands. "I just… I just don't want to screw it up with her. You know that I… that I love her, Rhodey. So much."

His friend openly showing so much vulnerability made Rhodey reconsider his joking reply.

"OK. Yes. I know that. And you think that making out so much with her will mess it up?"

"I think giving her the impression that that's _all_ I want to do with her, might."

"Huh. Yeah. I guess I can see that. I mean, Pepper's not your typical girl… and you're not the typical guy, but… but yes. I can see how that _might_ be a problem. Although," Rhodey shrugged. "What are you supposed to do about it? If you like a girl, and she likes you back, making out with her is pretty much a given, you know? Circle of life and all that stuff?"

"Yeah, I know," the genius replied. "But I didn't use to have this problem before, when I first realized I liked her. Back when we were still just friends, I mean. It was so much easier back then. I'm not sure at what point it changed."

"Back then, when? You mean before she gave you that awesome gift? Or back when you didn't know you had hormones. Or before you found out where babies come from?"

"Yeah," Tony said with disappointment, much to Rhodey's surprise. "All of the above, I guess."

Rhodey straightened his back when it dawned on him how concerned his friend truly was about the situation, and he then crossed his arms over his chest to give the situation a second thought. He knew that Tony was, as it was common for him, overthinking this whole situation – no other man he knew personally would be worried about the possible repercussions of constantly making out with his girlfriend. Only Tony Stark would worry about something like that.

"Well… what does she think about that?"

"About what?"

"About you ending up all over each other every time you guys are alone now?"

Tony shrugged. "She hasn't said that she hates it."

"Has she said that she likes it?"

"Can't say that she has," Tony replied after a pause.

"Didn't you guys use to do a lot of other things when alone? Sparring. Traveling to the other side of the world. Doing homework. Playing Scrabble. Watching TV. What happened? How come you haven't done any of that lately?"

Tony shrugged again.

"I don't know. I guess… I guess it's because we hadn't done this before. Or at least not as… detailed. And now it's happening so often. And every time is different. And I… I…"

"And you don't know if you've covered all possible scenarios of the situation, so the science nerd in you wants to make sure you do?"

"Maybe," Tony frowned, Rhodey's reasoning making too much sense to him. "Maybe part of me wants to find out how many ways I can… I can… how many ways I can make her feel good… about that…"

Rhodey rubbed his forehead and cleared his throat in discomfort. The feeling of awkwardness was becoming stronger by the second, but he knew that if he did not guide his friend, he was going to end up in a bigger mess. He would just have to endure… and then pretend that Tony had not just told him that he was looking for ways to physically _please_ their common friend. He knew what the next step for that would be, and he did not want to be privy to it in any way.

"Honestly, T, I don't see anything wrong with you guys doing that. I mean, I don't wanna hear about it – and I _definitely_ don't wanna see it, but it sounds normal to me. If you want to slow down, though, then all you have to do is talk to her. Tell her what you're thinking and how you feel, and I'm sure she'll tell you she's freaking out, too."

"And what if she's _not_ freaking out about it?"

"Doesn't matter. Either way, she'll know how you feel about it. And you'll know how she feels about it, and you'll work it out. You always do. You've argued about worse things in the past, and you've both made it through. Just don't lie to her, Tony. You _know_ how much she hates that."

"That makes sense… I guess," Tony paused, stared at the ceiling for a second, and then spoke again. "Or maybe…"

"Oh, boy. Here we go," Rhodey rolled his eyes.

"No, really. Hear me out."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

"Sigh…"

"OK. So. What if I just make sure we're never alone together? That sounds like a good idea, right? If we aren't alone together, then we won't have a chance to make out."

Rhodey's face showed how unamused he was and his constant blinking almost screamed the word _Idiot_ at his friend.

"And to think I mocked Pepper for believing a wig and sunglasses would keep her from being found at school…"

"OK, fine!" Tony groaned. "You tell me what to do then!"

"I just _told_ you what to do: TALK. TO. HER!"

"About what?!"

"About how you feel!"

"But she'll get mad at me! She'll think I don't want to be with her."

"Well, you don't."

"I DO!" Tony slammed his palms on his knees. "I just don't want her to think that I just have her around so that I can grope her!"

"Then tell her that."

"No! It's easier just to avoid being alone with her."

"And how exactly are you going to accomplish that? Are you going to tell her that she can't come to the Makluan Temple anymore? Or that she can't stay there to hang around with you, taking _care_ of you, after a mission while you do repairs to the armors? Or are you going to ask her to give back the key to your house and that she needs to start _knocking_ on the front door when she comes by? Or better yet: are you going to tell her you'll no longer go out together on the weekends? That you _don't_ want to hang out on the roof during your off period at school?"

Tony closed his eyes and hung his head. This was a lot more difficult than he had imagined it would be to solve. His life revolved so much around Pepper's life that it was going to be practically impossible to accomplish limiting his time with her. In fact, the only way for them to stop hanging around so much was for them to break up. And for him to move to another country. And disconnect his phone. And live under a rock.

He could do all of the last things but, breaking up with her: that was the _last_ thing he wanted to do.

"I guess… I guess…" Tony sighed. "Guess we'll just spend the entire off period and lunch on the roof instead of _in_ the room _before_ the roof."

"And what if she stops you before you exit? What if she keeps you from going out?"

"As long as it doesn't happen every time, we should be good."

"And what about everywhere else?"

"I'll… think of something."

"And what if she _wants_ to make out with you? What if she really, _really_ wants to, tells you she wants to, and you say _no_?"

"I… I'd never say _no_."

"Or what if," Rhodey stared at his friend with a sad look. "What if she just thinks that you don't want to be with her anymore? What if she just assumes, like you are right now, that she knows what you're thinking or feeling, and breaks it off?"

" _No," Pepper shook her head. "What you really want is someone who loves Science as much you do."_

" _This again?" he groaned. "That's not true, Pepper. I've told you before. This has_ _ **nothing**_ _to do with Science."_

" _It has EVERYTHING to do with it."_

" _No. It doesn't. This is just me being stupid and forgetting the anniversary of the start of one of the best things that has ever happened to me."_

" _And you forgot it because your first love, Science, invited you out on a date."_

As much as he hated to admit it, he knew that Rhodey was right. What if Pepper misinterpreted his intentions, like she had done so in the past? What if she started to believe that he was not making out with her anymore because he was doing so with someone else? And not just with anyone else, but with her _sister_ of all people?

Tony shuddered. He did not even want to think about that.

"Hey, T?" Rhodey began after Tony took a very long time to respond.

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure there's nothing more to this?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean: are you sure you're not just afraid of letting go?"

"Letting go of what?"

"You," Rhodey replied. "Maybe what you're really afraid of is what you'd do if you don't stop. If she doesn't ask you to stop. I mean… we're all adults now, right? We know where things like that lead."

Tony rested his forearms on his knees and slouched his back while giving Rhodey's suggestion deep thought.

Was it really too terrible if he let go? Was it really the worst thing in the world if he ended up doing _that_ with her? He loved her. He so did. He did not see himself with anyone else. Ever. He loved her company. He loved her face. Her smile. Her chatty personality. He loved every inch of her. He loved everything that made her who she was. Yet, this was _why_ he was struggling with this. Because he did not want to lose it all for a chance at experiencing a long kiss in the night… or more.

But it did not have to end up like that every time they were together, right? Surely there had to be something he could do to lower the incidence, right? He and Pepper were friends before they were a couple. And they still were, in a way; whenever an issue popped up, their friendship came first, before their romance. And he would rather have her as his friend forever than not having her at all.

"Ask her to help you with a repair of the armor."

"What?" Rhodey's sudden suggestion broke the inventor's concentration.

"Teach her another programming language."

"Huh?"

"Take her to the beach."

"What are you… I don't… what?"

"Go back to basics, Tony. Be her friend again. Cool down. But don't stop hanging around with her. That's not really the problem. Just… just find other things to do with her when you're alone. Have a plan. Mix it up. Find a new common hobby. Volunteer at a charity together or something. Adopt a cat together. I don't know."

"All of a sudden? She might find it suspicious. She's not stupid, you know?"

"Well, if you're not gonna talk to her, then you're gonna have to do something about it instead."

"I know that," Tony sighed. "But those things sound too big of a change."

"Then do something small."

"Like that?"

"I don't know! Baking cookies?"

"Cookies?"

"Well, yeah. If you're both busy with something that doesn't entail really close contact, then you should be fine, right?"

"Cookies…" Tony tapped his chin with his index finger. "Cookies…"

"Yes. Cookies. You bake them in the oven and eat them with milk."

"Cookies," the inventor repeated once again, and Rhodey knew that his friend was packing up to go to La-La Land.

"Right. You're right!" Tony stood up from the couch. "Baking cookies. Alright! I'll try that."

Because, yes. Rhodey _was_ right. The problem was not that they were alone. The problem was that they did not have much to do other than kissing each other _when_ alone.

 _Baking cookies_ , Tony thought with renewed confidence. _What can be more innocent than that?_


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

What was better than making cookies from scratch?

Making them with your boyfriend.

What was better than making cookies from scratch with your boyfriend?

Making out with your boyfriend _while_ making cookies from scratch with him.

What was better than _all_ that?

Practicing intense _French-kissing_ with your boyfriend in between regular making out sessions while making cookies from scratch… _with_ your boyfriend.

Could life get any better for her?

Nope. She certainly could not see how it could.

In fact, now that she thought about it while she mixed several ingredients inside a bowl, the only downside to making out with your boyfriend while preparing cookies was that the situation lent itself to be distracting enough to mess up the preparation of something as simple as a rather straightforward dessert. But this was what second chances were for. And third chances… and fourth chances… and so forth.

She narrowed her eyes as she read the back of the cookie dough box to confirm that she was using the correct quantities of the ingredients for the next batch of cookies. The first batch had turned out so hard that, when Tony had tried taking a bite out of a cookie, one of his teeth had almost cracked. The second batch had come out so soggy that, when she had tried grabbing a cookie from the pan, the concoction had simply slipped through her fingers like goo. The third batch had had the right consistency, but she had swapped the salt for the sugar and they had both ended up spitting out the bites the moment their taste buds had been hit with the unexpected taste. The status of the fourth batch they would never know if it had been alright. They had been too engrossed in making out to really hear the multiple dinging of the oven, and the cookies had burned.

This batch, however, was the one. She could feel it. This was going to be the best batch of cookies in the entire universe.

"Almost done there?"

Pepper nodded a few times, looked up to face the genius, and then pointed towards him with the wooden spoon in her hands.

"Oh, come on, Tony! You have cookie dough on your face!"

"Oh, really? Again?" Tony asked in a tone that reeked of feigned innocence, his face leaning towards his girlfriend to encourage her to take matters into her hands and _save_ him from his current predicament. Last time he had _accidentally_ left cookie dough on his left cheek, he had ended up pressing Pepper against the wall, his palms holding his weight on either side of her head, kissing her so fervently that the ding of the oven had not even registered in his mind.

"Guess you're gonna have to take care it for me, Pep."

"I just did, like, two seconds ago," Pepper smiled, willing to play along with his game.

"Then that just means you know what to do. Cleaning duty: aisle five!" Tony replied, his arms slowly snaking around her sides, and his body pressing against hers, knowing very well that she had nowhere to go once her back hit the edge of the middle island counter in the kitchen.

"I'm starting to think that you're doing this on purpose, Tony Stark."

"Mmhhh," he innocently rolled his eyes as if he were seriously considering her accusation. " _Whatever_ makes you think that, Pep?"

"I-I…" she swallowed hard and licked her lips, anticipating the flavor of cookie dough and milk that she knew his mouth tasted like at the moment. Ever since a few days ago, when he had told her that he loved her, her genius boy had been even more affectionate than usual. She was not sure if it was because he felt the same weight gone from his shoulders that she now felt relief from at making her feelings for him known, or if it was because French-kissing had added a whole new layer of excitement to being alone.

"You-you, what, Pep?" he openly yet sweetly mocked her stuttering. He relished in making her blush. He could almost hear her heart beating faster by the second; and he knew that it was all because of him.

He was not sure what the heck was happening, but he could no longer deny that he seriously enjoyed teasing her – it made him feel things he had never felt before. It was as if something had been set free when he had told her that he loved her – and whatever had been unleashed refused to spend a second alone with her that was not used to feel her in whatever way he could; no matter how hard he had tried to keep his urges in check.

Scrap Rhodey's recommendation, too. It was not working at all!

Then again, maybe it was not _supposed_ to work the way his friend had suggested it did. Maybe he _was_ just supposed to let things happen the way they had happened so far: naturally, in the moment; following his heart rather than his brain.

Because he was just following the call of his heart, right? He was not simply following the calling of… _othe_ r, lower parts of this anatomy… yet.

 _Right?_

Rhodey had told him that he was just learning what it really meant to be a teenage boy – although, his friend had used a crude word to describe how he was now acting around his girlfriend. Nevertheless, Tony knew that it was much more than the basic instinct that Rhodey had all but implied he was a slave of, no matter how smart he was. It was just that he, irrevocably and without a doubt, felt so much closer to his girl. And closeness in a romantic relationship led to other things… and those things felt _really_ good.

Blue sky, clear waters, open sail – full speed ahead!

"T-Tony, why are you… what are you… Mmhhh…"

Just as a few moments ago, Tony was yet again hungrily pressing his lips against the trembling girl. And, just as before, she ran her left hand through his hair, and held on tightly to one of the loops of his jeans with her right one. She was not sure how or when she had started doing that, but the inventor did not seem to mind that she did.

For his part, the genius was practically circling her waist twice with his arms. He was breathing hard through his nose to extend the kiss as long as his lungs allowed, pressing her chest against his as closely as he could; all the while internally berating himself for being so slow to get here with her. Granted, he did not regret the baby steps their relationship had taken since it had started – he did not think they would be here if the game had been played differently. But he also felt disappointed that, in just a couple of months, they would go their separate ways; which meant that he would have to wait for _days_ before being able to fly to her college to see her again.

That thought alone made him kiss her harder and hold her tighter than he had ever done so before. It also made him lift her feet from the floor and sit her on the counter. And, if all that had not been enough, it then made him press his hips against her knees until her legs ended up wrapping around them. That last move on her part neither of them had expected. It was a first. It was new. And it was surprisingly exhilarating.

To continue the momentum, Tony's right hand migrated from being around her waist to holding onto her left hip. His palm played with the flesh there through the material she wore, taking turns tugging at her hip and then clamping onto her thigh. His left hand, for the most part, remained on her lower back, but it would sometimes rise to her neck to reposition the angle of her head to deepen the kiss.

Pepper Potts was positively overwhelmed with Tony's current showering of affection towards her. She had by now abandoned the previous spots on him that her hands had been resting on. She had opted to embracing him by the neck and shoulders as tightly as her legs kept his hips in place; here and there tugging roughly at his hair. Whenever her fingernails ended up raking his scalp, she was rewarded with a throaty moan coming from him. The first time it had happened, she had thought that she had hurt him. Her fears, however, had been quickly addressed when he had followed the initial emitting of the sound with a raw and euphoric stating of her shortened nickname.

As such, when she had just now scratched him yet again, at his neck this time, in order to give his head a break; she was pleasantly shocked by his change in reaction.

He pulled his lips away from hers, dug his head into the right side of her neck, and then began sucking and nibbling at it all the way from her jawline to where her shoulder met her collarbone. She exhaled sharp breaths into his ear, his tongue and lips practically claiming his territory on her skin. She threw her head back to give him more room to work with. She desperately clawed at whatever she could reach of his back and his shoulders under his shirt. Her toes curled inside her shoes. She moaned his name… and he completely _lost_ it.

He pulled his face away from her neck, silently admired her flushed face and cheeks, and took pleasure in hearing her tiny gasps. She had a look of expectancy on her features, clearly dying to know what he would do next. But she just sat there, uncharacteristically still and quiet, waiting for him to take the initiative yet again.

He licked his lips and gulped. He brushed his thumb against her mouth and shivered when she kissed his fingertips. He thought long and hard about his next step, and he was then compensated for his momentary self-control when Pepper grabbed the bottom of his shirt and removed the clothing article from his torso. Not a nanosecond later, he resumed his task of kissing her, this time enjoying it even more as she was now free to run her hands down his back, no longer obstructed by the stupid piece of fabric he had been wearing a moment ago.

Their initial make-out sessions at the Academy or in the Makluan Temple seemed like nothing when compared to this. Heck! Even their mini make-out session in his bed after they had expressed their feelings a few days ago was a pale contrast to this moment in time. She was not at all complaining about it either. She was actually savoring every second of it. Mostly because they were at his penthouse and nobody could walk in on them right now. Nobody could interrupt their boyfriend and girlfriend time.

 _DING!_

Except for the oven, apparently.

The alarm announcing the range had finished its job of self-cleaning the mess left behind by the ruined cookie batches forced their faces to pull apart, if just for an inch or two, but they made no other effort to move from where they stood. Their eyes were still closed. Their chests were rising and lowering with the intensity of their inhales and exhales. Their lips felt swollen and tingly. And their minds were slowly processing what they had just done. This had been more than just a routine kiss for them. This particular exchange, unexpectedly, had left them wanting _more_.

More of the other. More of the physical contact. More of the closeness. More of everything they were currently doing. _More_ space to continue learning about whatever _this_ was.

But, on the same token, they also wanted less uncertainty regarding whether or not the other wanted to continue doing this; liked doing this – thoroughly _enjoyed_ this... with each other _only_. Pepper wanted less worry to bubble within her about whether or not she was doing this right. Tony wanted less worry about what the future would bring once graduation came around.

Then again, all of that could wait. There was no reason to ruin the moment with what he could not control.

"That… was nice," he whispered to her, his hands now holding to her face to lock eyes with her.

"It-it… it was," she breathed, her fingers combing his hair.

The oven rung a second time, but neither of them tended to the warning. Instead, their eyes looked over the other's face, and their lips met again, albeit briefly, before they pulled away once more.

"Bed?" his breath tickled her lips.

"Yes," she replied without hesitation.

As soon as she gave him the OK to proceed, he kissed her again, picked her up from the counter, her legs still wrapped around his waist, and took her with him to his room.

Rhodey totally sucked at giving relationship advice; that much was now clear to the blue-eyed boy. But Tony did not care. He now knew without a doubt that, when it came to Pepper and him, he did not have to prepare for everything or know it all. He just had to continue doing what he had done all along: trusting her and his instincts; go with the flow. Everything else would follow along and fall into place when it was ready to do so.

And to think that all of this had become clear to him while trying to force things to be a different way!

He was such an idiot. What had he been thinking? Trying to halt nature by limiting their activities to non-romantic ones was not going to change anything. If it was meant to be, it was meant to be.

He was such a moron! Cooking: a safe zone? He would have laughed aloud if he was not busy getting ready to hit a homerun with his girlfriend.

 _Baking cookies_ , Tony smiled smugly against Pepper's lips, _not so innocent anymore._


	20. Chapter 19

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thank you for the follows/favorites:** _stefanialilly_.

 **Miss geek: First of all I was sooo proud of myself coming up with wicked bitch of the west it takes time for me to come up with stuff :P and OMG OMG OMG the heat is not in the oven thts for sure :P please continue this story is epic** \- HAHAHAHA! The heat is not in the oven! LOVE. IT! And you should be proud about the Wicked Bitch of the West line… it is PRICELESS! In fact, we should start saying: _Wicked Bitch of the West [Copyright of Miss Geek]._

 **apps: OMGssss...I started imaging or rather picturizing the scenes.. I almost lost myself... It was amongst the loveliest make-out session.. Loved it.I hope they won't bake anything else other than cookies..** – ROFLMAO! No worries. No baking of any kind other than cookies on this one. I got my fill of writing Pepperony babies with _The Last Chronicle_ :P

 **Lola k: I need to know what happens next** – Here it be! Hehehe… hehehe… MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

 **Anon: Uppppppdatte** – Here it is!

 **At: please update** – Sorry about the wait :(

 **A/N:** Hi, everyone! I'm back! I'm sorry about last weekend – my dad had emergency surgery, so I hopped in my car and went to visit him. This weekend (yesterday) was my wedding anniversary… so we were… busy ;) But hey! I'm back now! And my boss is back at work from maternity leave! Free time to write is finally here! (I HOPE!)

 **IF YOU READ THE LAST CHRONICLE AND GUEST REVIEWED FOR THE ENDING:**

 **Toni: It should be us readers who should be thanking you :)Thank-you for sharing and completing this story Miss Starfire and for giving Tony and Pepper the happy ending they deserve. –** YES! Our couple deserved that Fairy Tale ending. Glad that you liked it :D

 **apps: Wishing you and your hubby a very Happy 6th Wedding Anniversary, Stay Blessed and Happy forever...With tears thanks for bringing us so far and ending this Saga on a happy of love to you and eagerly waiting for more of pepperony...All the best dear!** – Awww! Thank youuuuu! It was a fun anniversary day! And of course: more Pepperony to come!

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

Lock-picking was a less-than-honorable habit that she had picked up from Pepper when they were younger. It was one of the options that Pepper had encouraged her to use to run away from danger when their mother was drunk as heck. At first, the redhead had led the efforts in paving a path that they would both use to escape their mother's violent bouts. However, as time went by and Mrs. Potts got better at abusing her children, Pepper had decided that, if anyone was going to escape unscathed, it was going to be her younger sibling. As such, Pepper had taught Samantha everything she knew about unlocking doors and hiding, all in the hope that her little sister was not on the receiving end of yet another of their mother's fits of rage.

Growing up, Samantha Potts had admired her sister for it, for a very long time; until her sister had betrayed her when it had mattered the most. For that, the brunette was certain that she would never be able to look at her sister the same way; love her the same way. As far as Sam was concerned, Pepper had abandoned her – had given up on her role as her protector – in favor of saving her own skin when their chance to finally escape the torture had presented itself. When Pepper had had the opportunity to put an end to it, to _all_ of it, she had given her back to her sister and had run. When Pepper could have made a world of difference for her innocent sister, the ginger had chosen the highroad and had made sure that only herself and their father were happy with their lives.

And what about the future life of poor Samantha Potts? No one had given a thought to that!

So today, as the brunette broke inside her sister's room to find what she needed from her to exert her revenge on the redhead, it was her turn not to give a thought to the fact that she was invading her sister's space or privacy. It was her turn not to care that she was, essentially, setting her sister up for a world of embarrassment, loneliness, sadness, and pain. In her eyes, Pepper Potts had it all coming and then some.

After making sure that she was really alone in the home, Samantha found herself inside Pepper Potts' room after forcing herself into it. Ever since she had tried to put on the suit, Pepper had begun locking her room – as if she was stupid enough to pull _that_ stunt again! Either way, her plans so far had not yielded the results she had been expecting, and she was running out of patience and time. She knew that, if she was not successful in separating the redhead and the inventor _before_ they graduated from the academy, the odds of splitting them up would be reduced significantly. It was now or never – and _never_ was definitely not an option for her.

In Sam's opinion, despite being her own flesh and blood, Pepper Potts truly deserved to suffer _more_ than the brunette had already suffered herself. Luckily for her, Pepper tended to spend a lot of time away from home; more likely than not spending it all with the blue-eyed genius, who Samantha _still_ could not believe was head-over-heels for someone like _her_.

Using her flashlight, she began going through any and all spots that could be used for hiding personal items: inside and behind drawers, under the bed, the back of the closet, inside shoe boxes, inside the pockets of hung clothes, and even in between the trashcan and its trash bag. All in all, by the time she was done combing the room, she was very satisfied with what she had found.

Before her, on the redhead's bed, laid several items that would help her execute her plans and carry out her vengeance. There were handwritten notes, letters, pictures, mementos, and newspaper clippings. There were also receipts, paid bills, Stark Solution's paystubs addressed to Pepper, and other financial information of the ginger's that would prove most useful for her cause. Yet, the best item of it all, the one that made Samantha smirk with the taste of revenge, was one labeled _Diary_.

"Diary, huh?" Samantha eyed the front and the back of the bound book with anticipation. "If you write as much as you talk, Pepper, this is going to be fun."

 _For me._

xxxXXXxxx

 _"Are you sure you want to do this?"_

" _I am. I do. With you."_

"Hey, Tony."

 _"I don't want to force you into this," he searched her half-closed eyes to see the truth in her words._

 _"You're not," she smiled and ran her palm down his bare chest._

"Tony?"

 _"I love you, Pep. So much."_

"Yo, Tony!"

 _"I love you, too."_

"Hello?! Earth to Tony! Are you even listening to me, man?"

"What?" Tony blinked rapidly; the image of him and Pepper, wrapped onto each other under the covers in his bed, instantly evaporating before his eyes. "What's that now?"

"I could ask _you_ the same thing! What the heck are you doing, staring at the basketball team while they shower?"

"I'm _what_?"

Tony's head snapped further up and his eyes focused, only to be confronted by the annoyed faces of nude male students staring back at him.

"I, uhm… I…" he cleared his throat and looked away.

"Something you wanna tell me, T?" Rhodey teased his friend, clearly amused by the awkward situation he was finding himself in.

"No!" Tony replied as he shook his head from side to side, appalled by the incorrect insinuation.

"Mmhhh," Rhodey rubbed his chin with his left hand. "I think the reason for the _not_ _wanting to make out with my girlfriend_ issue is finally taking shape. Good to know, Tony."

"Ugh, put a sock in it, Rhodey," Tony grumbled with irritation and then returned to his task of changing himself into his regular clothes after P.E. class.

" _Put a sock in it_?" Rhodey arched a single eyebrow. "What is this? 1999?"

"No," Tony ran his right hand through his mane to somewhat style it back to its spiked self. "Apparently, it's the third grade."

"Haha," Rhodey waved his hand at his friend. "How would you know what the third grade is like? You didn't even _go_ to the third grade!"

"What's with you today?"

"What's with _you_? You've been spacing out all day. More than usual, I mean. Are you OK?"

"Yeah," Tony replied, trying his best to hide his knowing smirk and his blush. "I'm great."

"Are you sure? You seem very out of it. Fought with Pepper? Did you tell her you wanted to slow things down and she didn't like it?"

At the mention of his girlfriend's name, memories of their encounter of last night left him powerless to stop himself from grinning like an idiot, all but forgetting to answer his friend's questions in any way, shape, or form.

"Tony? Tony! TONY?!"

"Huh?"

"Are you and Pepper fighting?"

"What? No! Not even… No… We're not fighting at all. We're fine. We're… fine. Yeah. Totally fine."

Rhodey narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"You messed it up, didn't you? You said something stupid to her, didn't ya?"

Tony rolled his eyes.

"No, Rhodey. We're not fighting. No, I didn't say something stupid to her. And no, I didn't tell her I wanted to slow things down."

"Oh," Rhodey was taken aback. "Guess that's why you look like as if someone asked you to identify the names of the Kardashians."

"The who?"

"Right. Yeah. Your extreme spacing-out attitude of today makes sense now," James Rhodes sympathetically patted Tony's right arm. "Still haven't figure out how to tell her, then?"

"No," Tony replied and consciously avoided Rhodey's gaze at all costs to prevent the young man from figuring out from his facial features that such conversation with Pepper was now less than pointless. Not only had the plan of distracting himself when they were alone so that he would not take things too far with Pepper before she was ready to do so entirely backfired on him – he had unrestrainedly given in to his hormones and desire for her with little to no thought.

He would not tell a soul – or maybe just to her, at some point in their lives – but last night, that unexpected and special moment when he had been with her so intimately, had been the best physical experience of his entire life thus far. In the few and isolated occasions when he had been curious enough about the unspeakable act to ponder what it could entail and how he would react to finally accomplishing one of the most basic needs of humankind, he had pictured himself awkwardly stumbling in the dark. He had imagined making a fool of himself in the process – utterly embarrassing himself, and failing miserably at what others easily achieved while drunk.

And, in almost all of those rare musings of his, he had always assumed that he would feel ashamed, guilty, and regretful once it was all said and done.

Surprisingly so, he felt none of the above.

He did not feel shame, for he now understood that the physical interaction was merely an extension of what everyone already knew he felt for Pepper Potts. He was not ashamed to admit he loved her, so there was no shame to be had if he had opted to provide her with a more corporal expression of his feelings for her.

He did not feel guilt, as he had made absolutely sure that there was no pressure from either side to go down the unknown road together. He had sought her approval, staring her directly in the eye while doing so, and she had replied in the affirmative with as much confidence as he had asked the question himself.

And he definitely did _not_ feel regret. Not before, during, or after the fact. Not this morning, when he had woken up to find her gone from his bed, and he had read her note that she had overslept, but that they would see each other at the academy, without a doubt. Not when he had briefly and in a rush exchanged a hug and a kiss with her during the second passing period of the day, when she had finally arrived to school; so late that she had missed first period and had gotten detention for it during their common off time. Not when he had spent his lunch time in the cafeteria, blatantly staring at her while she worked off the rest of her detention by serving food to other students. Not when he had barely had the time to brush his fingertips against hers after break time was over, and they had both been forced to rush to their next class. Not when she had caught him staring at her a couple of times during P.E. class… and definitely not when he had stolen a quick and very public kiss from her before the end of said class.

No.

Nothing could bring him down.

Nothing could plant the seed of remorse in him. He had wanted her, and she had wanted him. _Him_. Just _him_. The rest had just been an obvious roll of the dice. It was true that Tony Stark currently felt _a lot_ of vastly different emotions after his experience of last night; but none of them where in the vicinity of shame, guilt or regret. He felt the complete opposite of these sentiments, in fact. And he was almost certain that she felt the same way he did.

"You're doing it again, Tony."

"Huh?" Tony's eyes focused once more after hearing his friend talk.

"Staring. You're staring at naked dudes, man."

"I–"

Whatever the genius was about to say was interrupted by a firm hand gripping his left shoulder.

 _Oh, nuts_ , Tony internally berated himself for the situation he had called upon himself. He was surely going to get beat up by the entire basketball team for being a total yet accidental _Peeping Tom_. And seeing that Rhodey was slowly sliding away from his current position on the bench they were both sitting on, it appeared as if his childhood friend was going to let him learn the lesson on his own.

The billionaire swallowed hard, his eyes slowly trekking up from the huge hand on his shoulder, up the muscled arm, and then towards the narrowed eyes raining anger onto his electric blue orbs.

"Hi… uhm… Jake… right?"

The behemoth cracked his knuckles in response; a simple towel covering the bottom half of his scarily bulked-up body.

"You were staring at us the whole time, Stark."

"Me?" Tony gulped once more and pointed a shaky finger towards his own chest. "I-I… me?"

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

 _I was thinking about my girlfriend when it appeared that I was looking at you?_ Tony wanted to say but, in this state of mind, he was not certain he would not end up saying more than he should about what he had done the previous night.

Silence seemed like the best policy, seeing as he could not really rely on his suit to get him out of this one. The large young man did not even seem concerned that he was taking a threatening stance towards Iron Man himself – and that alone spoke volumes of how much more confidence Jake had in his abilities than Tony currently did.

Expecting the worst and hoping for the best, Tony simply shook his head from side to side.

"Nothing to say, huh?" Jake lowered his face and practically shoved it onto Tony's for a second. "Well, I do have something to say to you, Stark, so you better listen up."

 _Oh, boy_ , Tony closed his eyes, hoped that the punishment would not hurt too much, and then waited for the punch to the face that would never come.

Instead, when Jake's hand was removed from his shoulder and his nose was still intact, the genius opened one eye and then the other, only to see a small piece of paper being handed to him by the brute standing before him.

Absentmindedly, Tony grabbed the paper in his hands, became obviously confused by the seemingly random scribbling on it, and then looked up to watch Jake's facial features softening up.

"Call me," the jock winked at the inventor and then clucked his tongue, "And don't worry, Tony: I won't tell Pepper about it. No. Strings. Attached."

Tony's jaw fell to the floor, along with the paper that held Jake's cell phone number, all the while Rhodey laughed until he could hardly breathe anymore.

 _Ugh_ , Tony closed his eyes and groaned. _There's the shame I was hoping to avoid!_


	21. Chapter 20

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thank you for the follows/favorites:** _bookish-rebel_ , _MisterOriginality_ , and _GCMA0215_.

 **Jessica: Omg lol that was amazing ! Woo loved the chap update again soon xxxxx –** Thank you! :D

 **Miss geek: I first I hope ur dad feel better soon second I hope u had a great anniversary may allah (god) continue to fill ur marriage with happiness and health. OMG love that copyright idea and now about this chapter ...LMAO OMG I thought for sure that jock will beat tony up hahahahaha oooh too funny and now there's only wicked bitch of the west to "deal" with now when I say deal I mean accidentally throw of a cliff into the ocean pls continue this story** – Thank you very much ^_^ My dad is doing a lot better. He becomes Grumpy Grumperson when he can't do things around the house, but he did a much better job of sticking to doctor's orders this time around. He went back to the doctor for his follow up and he's been cleared to be his workaholic self again :P Our anniversary was awesome! We're both very introverted but we can always find stuff to do together ;) And, OMG! _The Wicked Bitch of the West_ (TM Miss Geek) just crossed a very dangerous line there. Our poor Pepper's gonna have some trouble for a few chapters :(

 **apps: Ohhh...poor Tony...hahaha...caught in very embarrassing situation and I will kill that Samantha if she screwed anything. Glad that Tony being Tony is not regretting on anything done!...as i don't want it to end but still waiting for happy ending love!** – Embarrassing Tony is sooooooo much fun. Always. He gets all flustered and says the wrong things at the wrong time. I think that's why we love that dork so much :P

 **Sara h: Wishing All the best for you X and waiting patiently for an update X –** Thank you :D Sorry about the delay. Life and stuff :(

 **Guest: Been waiting and waiting for you to make a move ...don't know why this would apply here ..Lol (Into you by Ariana ) soooo please updat it's killing me Hun** – LOLZ! Sorry about the wait! And sorry about this chapter, too :P

 **Update update: Please update** – Here it be!

 **Jasmine: Update pleaseeee** – Will do ^_^

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

 _"We're outside,"_ Tony's text of five minutes ago had informed her, and she could not wrap-up her current task of putting away her things in her locker quickly enough. She knew that Tony would patiently wait for her to walk her home; perhaps even invite himself into her place until late at night for an impromptu stay-in date night; yet, she was still desperate to leave school as fast as her legs could carry her. She did not really want to make him wait.

She was not worried about him growing fretful or impatient because she was taking too long to meet him by the exit of the building. She did not at all fear that he would leave her behind, either. She just wished she would have had more time during school hours today to see him, talk to him, and interact with him before the end of the school day. She knew that he probably felt every bit as awkward as she felt after last night – it was only natural to feel shy and a little bit embarrassed after something like _that_ ; she was most certain of this. She did not regret it at all, however; it just made her feel anxiety to the nth degree – the same anxiety that was hindering the easy job of shoving books into her locker just now.

If only she had not gotten detention today. If only she had gotten to school on time. If only she had waited until a non-school day to do what she had done last night…

Then again, what was she to do? These experiences were usually not planned. Tony had completely caught her off-guard with his advances – in the sweetest of ways, of course. He had not been pushy or forceful about it either. He had even given her a way and an opportunity to back out. Nevertheless, it had been clear in his words and in his deliberate actions that he had been ready for and had given some serious thought about taking their relationship to the next level; at least as much as she had truly been considering it herself.

Despite all of the evidence pointing to reality, she was still in disbelief of what they had done. It seemed so surreal – so magical; so perfect in every way. Better than she had ever imagined it could have ever been. If it had not been for the fact that she had woken up next to him, being as naked as he was, and if it had not been for the clear recollection she had of the day and night before, she would not believe that she and Tony had done _that_.

 _That_ , Pepper smiled and bit her lower lip, an exhilarating and tingly sensation crawling down her skin.

She had overslept once she had gotten to her home from Tony's place, and that single oversight had turned her entire day upside down. She had meant to just sleep a little bit and then get ready for school as usual, but she had been exhausted by the time she had climbed into her bed. She had had every right to have been tired as heck, too. She had just woken up from spending the night with her boyfriend. She had just been with a man for the first time in her entire life.

 _Been with a man._

With _her_ man.

 _With Tony_ _ **Freaking**_ _Stark!_

The thought of it alone made her blush yet again; something she had been doing a lot throughout the day; especially when she had almost heard his ragged voice whispering her name in her ear. Or when she had practically felt his hands holding on to her tightly but also very gently, both opposing traits taking place at the same darn time. She was not even sure how he had managed to do just that: make her feel roughly taken, heavily wanted, and yet handled with extreme care, all bundled into one.

The way he had stared at her eyes when he had not been too busy learning the specs of her body and skin. The way he had ensured the protocols he was following did not interfere with fulfilling the mission. The way he had made her feel through it all: _proved_ to her what he had said to her in the past – that she was the single most important thing in his entire life.

" _Don't go home yet,"_ _he said between gasps once it was all over._

" _I won't," she looked up at him, her body trembling, also catching her breath, and wiped some of the sweat from his forehead. "I love you, Tony."_

 _He smiled wide and then kissed her lips one more time._

" _I love you, Pepper Potts."_

It had been like music to her ears. Like adrenaline to her heart. Like…

 _DING-DING!_

" _You OK?"_

 _Oh, man,_ the redhead slammed closed the locker door and then turned around in place. Tony was now wondering if she was OK, and she was too busy daydreaming about last night.

Then again, what was she supposed to do about it, anyway? In her mind, it was a big deal. She and Tony had crossed a very sacred threshold that could never be taken back. It would be unreasonable for her life and routine not to be affected to the degree it had. It would be ridiculous to assume they did not have to talk about it before being able to return to their semi-normal lives. It would be nothing less than absurd to pretend they had not made an even greater commitment to each other with the events of the previous night.

But, as with anything that was grand, all one could do was take one step at a time.

 _"On my way,"_ she replied to his text, almost giddy at the thought of seeing him again.

xxxXXXxxx

"So, he asked you out?" Sam could barely finish her question before she began laughing aloud, earning herself some disturbing looks from students nearby.

"Of course not! I mean, not really," Tony tried defending himself, but Rhodey interrupted the rest of his reply.

"But _yes_ really, technically," his belly still hurt from how hard he had been laughing for the rest of the school day. "I mean, he _did_ ask you to call him. And he _did_ say he wouldn't tell Pepper about it."

"He did? Oh, well! At least he's discrete!" Samantha slammed her palms against her thighs.

"Ugh, you two stink," Tony groaned. "You just wait until Pepper gets here. She'll defend my honor."

"Not when I tell her that Jake Vaughn offered you sex," Rhodey smirked.

"HE, WHAT?" Samantha spat out.

"He didn't offer me sex!" Tony argued.

"So, what did he offer you?" Samantha asked.

"Nothing."

"Yeah, he offered you nothing, alright," Rhodey smirked. "He offered to have _nothing_ on while with you."

"Oh, this is priceless," Sam wiped tears from her eyes.

"Keep at it, Sam, and I'll tell Dr. Pym only _I_ worked on the EM-Bugs project."

"Oh, boo! Why would you do something like that?" she pouted. "That's just mean!"

"And petty," Rhodey added. "So, yeah: it sounds just like something Tony would do."

"Hey! I'm not petty," the inventor narrowed his eyes, "Or mean!"

"You're right," Samantha nodded. "He is petty."

" _You_ are _new_ ," Tony pointed at the brunette. "You don't know me, yet."

"I know enough," the brunette replied, her mind listing what she had learned of the inventor via reading Pepper's diary.

"Whatever," Tony frowned.

"Anyway," Rhodey stared at his watch. "I'm starving. Pepper better hurry up so we can get to your place, T. Are we ordering in or picking up?"

"Oh-oh!" Samantha clapped her hands twice. "Tony, you promised you'd take me to Belly Busters!"

"I did?" Tony squinted his eyes for an instant as he searched his mind, "Oh, yeah! I sure did! Well, we can go now?"

"YES!" Samantha threw her arms above her head. "I haven't had a real cheeseburger in FOREVER!"

"You what?" Rhodey gave her an incredulous look.

"My mom, she's… she has a strange diet. Growing up, I wasn't allowed to eat candy, or bread… or anything delicious, actually."

"For real?" Rhodey could not believe his ears. He knew that mothers could be overbearing to their children, but he had never considered some mothers being extreme about how they raised their offspring. Evidently, unnecessarily radical parents _did_ exist.

"For real," Sam replied, crestfallen.

"Aw, man," Tony and Rhodey said in unison, truly feeling sorry for the younger Potts sister.

"That stinks!" Tony added with a frown.

"Yeah," Sam lazily shrugged, upping her visible regret to earn even more sympathy from the two boys. "It's just what it is."

"It's _messed up_ , that's what it is," Rhodey said sternly. "What the heck is wrong with your mom? I mean, don't get me wrong. I know mothers are supposed to be overprotective and stuff, but man! No bread?! What kind of life is that?"

"A sad one," Sam lowered her gaze and slumped her shoulders. "She only got stricter _after_ the divorce."

"What can be stricter than a no-bread policy?" Tony asked.

"You'd be surprised," the brunette replied, her eyes momentarily becoming unfocused.

"Well, you're here now. You can have all the burgers you want!" Rhodey smiled.

"That's true," Tony nodded. "But you know what? Let's make a weekend out of it! We'll start tonight with Belly Busters, and then tomorrow we'll take you to any place your mom never took you or let you go to. How's that sound?"

"Really?" Sam clasped her hands under her chin. "You… you'd really do that for me?"

"Of course," Tony replied with a smile. "What are friends for, huh?"

"OK!" Sam nodded. "Oh, my Gosh! This is gonna be great! We're gonna spend the whole weekend together! I'm gonna eat a burger! I can't wait to–"

The young woman's response was cut short when commotion began mounting near school grounds. The traffic, which was already slow and heavy – as it was typical of New York City – was currently being affected greatly by the afternoon dismissal of the Tomorrow Academy. The streets surrounding the campus were already congested enough on a normal day. The unfolding emergency only made matters worse.

"Whoa!" Rhodey's head shifted left and right, watching as an ambulance tried and failed to make its way through traffic.

"What's going on?" Samantha asked, a feeling of uneasiness creeping up in her while watching the chaos develop before them. Pittsburgh was a major city, that much was for sure, but it did not compare to the very little she had seen of _The Big Apple_. It truly was the city that never slept. She was glad that she did not live here on her own.

"Something big, maybe?" Tony pulled out his phone, wondering if he had accidentally missed an alert for Team Iron Man.

"Are we needed?" Rhodey asked. He did not have his War Machine suit with him at the moment, but he knew that Tony could get it here with a literal blink of an eye.

"I don't think so," Tony shook his head.

"Needed for what?" Sam's eyes jumped back and forth between Tony and Rhodey.

"Support. Iron Man," Tony replied and returned his phone to his back pocket.

"The city calls you for help?" Samantha was wide-eyed.

"Sometimes," Tony shrugged, his eyes fixed on the paramedics jumping from the back of the unwillingly stationery ambulance.

"Sometimes, we just show up," Rhodey added, his gaze on the same target as Tony's, following the paramedics' every move as they ran down the street, gurney and equipment in hand, and disappeared behind the east side of the academy's building.

"Are you saying you get notifications of anything bad going around?"

"Unfortunately, not everything," Tony admitted with disappointment and then returned his full attention to the brunette.

"But a lot of things," Rhodey added.

"How do you keep track of it all?"

"We have our ways," Tony responded before Rhodey got a chance to say anything else. Even though they were talking to Pepper's sister, Tony still did not feel comfortable enough sharing with others how his team kept tabs on everyone and everything else. The less people knew about his techniques, the better. And the fewer the people who were in the know of said methods, the better it was for his team and anyone else.

Their discretion regarding the location of the Makluan Temple and of the nature of their many gadgets had been the one saving grace they had had when Andros Stark had showed up. The Mandarin, Whitney Stane, The Ghost, and the Living Laser all already knew about their hiding place. S.H.I.E.L.D. probably also knew all about it and more. That was more than enough people in the know. He was going to make sure as heck that no one else found out about all of that; no matter how trustworthy they could have been or who they were friends with.

"You must have an awesome computer and satellites to have eyes everywhere," Samantha began. "Is it a supercomputer, or is it just several computers networked together? Do you have your own secured internet provider? Do you self-host? How do you keep communication between the armors encrypted?"

Rhodey and Tony exchanged surprised looks. Neither of them was sure if Samantha was making some very accurate wild guesses or if she instead had overheard something from any of them. Either way, the thought of Samantha having an idea of what tools Team Iron Man had at its disposal made Tony uncomfortable, to say the least. He was not absolutely sure that he was OK with Samantha being as close to knowing his reality as she clearly was.

Then again, the girl was very smart. If anyone could extrapolate from what she knew about him and his tech, it would definitely be someone like her.

"Out of the way! Move!"

The front doors to the Academy slamming open, frantic motions, and indiscernible murmurs coming from the main entrance of the school halted theirs and everyone else's discussion, much to Tony's relief. Yet, when he turned around in place to find out what was making the crowd part like animals escaping the trail of a wildfire, his heart nearly burst inside his chest.

"Please, people: step aside!"

The paramedics that they had just seen rushing out of the ambulance, minutes ago, were now struggling to rush back towards it; their unmoving patient lying on the gurney – their _redheaded_ motionless patient.

 _No._

He was running towards the paramedics in a second; all eyes instantly falling on his form. He tried to reach for her hand, uttered her name as loud as he could, but both efforts were in vain.

"Call it, Mike!" one of the paramedics screamed at the driver from his halfway point to the ambulance. "We need someone on standby when we arrive!"

"No, wait!" Tony tried yet again to get near Pepper, but the second paramedic shoved him back.

"Sir, please stay back."

"But, I know her!"

"Are you family?"

"She's my girlfriend."

"I'm sorry," the same paramedic said before he briefly eyed his partner and both nodded at the same time. A blink of an eye later, the two men lifted the gurney as high as they could to bring the redhead to the ambulance as quickly as possible.

"What's wrong with her?" Tony demanded, but he was ignored.

"Somerset is the closest hospital," the driver said, completely disregarding Tony's previous question, and then started the vehicle.

"Then step on it," Tony heard one paramedic say as Pepper was wheeled inside the back of the ambulance. "She's not breathing. We don't have much time."

By the time Rhodey and Samantha reached Tony's current standing location, the ambulance was already speeding away from sight.


	22. Chapter 21

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Paula: Omfg what the what ? Interesting chapter but dang it's been weeks you own us another one soon love ,hope all is better and everyone's well xx** – I SURE DO! Hope this one makes up for it :D

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

No sooner than the initial shock wore off, Tony slammed his left fist against his chest, prompting the suit to cover every inch of him, much to the curiosity and astonishment of the spectators nearby. No one had seen or heard any indication of an ongoing altercation lead by the armored heroes, let alone of Rescue, so her sudden impairment made no sense to any them; least of all to the redhead's worried-sick boyfriend.

"Somerset," Iron Man said in his disguised voice, his HUD predicting for him the detrimental traffic conditions the ambulance would face en route.

"We'll be there," Rhodey replied in an equally somber tone, knowing exactly what the inventor was about to do. He then grabbed Samantha's wrist and pulled her with him towards the sidewalk as swiftly as possible to get out of Tony's way.

Before the brunette was given the opportunity to ask or say anything about what was happening, she watched in amazement as Tony Stark – Iron Man – flew towards the direction of the ambulance that was yet to make much headway; it was just a block away. He picked it up by taking a firm grasp of the roof, and then effortlessly flew it out of the traffic jam it had been stuck in. Somerset Memorial _was_ the closest hospital to the Tomorrow Academy. Yet, it would not matter if it were just a block down the street if traffic kept the emergency vehicle from moving at all.

Reading about Iron Man, or watching clips of his heroic antics on television, was one thing. Seeing him in action was a completely different animal in and of itself. She would not admit it aloud, but Tony's reaction of just now had _scared_ her. _Literally_ scared her. The look on his face before the armor had covered his entire being had been one of utmost determination, profound concern, and poorly contained rage. Even though the fire in his eyes had not been aimed directly at her, she had felt the unsettling ripple effects of an upset Iron Man.

 _He's doing this for Pepper_ , Samantha gnawed her bottom lip, not at all fighting or complaining about Rhodey's tight and forced grip on hers on the way to the bus stop. _He's doing this because something bad happened to her!_

To _her_. Something awful had come to pass to _her_ sister. Her _sister's_ lifewas in peril. And she had not even reacted to it all – or at least not in the way she knew she should have.

 _Pepper_ , the young woman's body began to tremble; the situation at hand replaying in her head and finally dawning on her. _Oh, my gosh! Pepper!_

What the heck had just happened to her?

She had appeared to be fine this morning, and all throughout the day. She and Tony had been texting back and forth for the past ten minutes, while they had all waited for her arrival. It just did not make any sense that the ginger would suddenly lose consciousness. It made no sense at all that she would just suddenly drop dead.

 _No_ , Samantha closed her eyes and shook her head. _She's not dead. She's not dead!_

Then again, _not_ breathing was typically a preceding step towards death.

"Come on!" Rhodey jerked the brunette inside the bus, with him practically throwing the tokens at the driver to pay both their fares.

"Rhodey," she locked eyes with the young man sitting next to her, fear finally taking hold of her.

"She's gonna be OK," Rhodey replied, though he was not sure who he was trying to convince: himself, the brunette, or both.

"Yeah," she hung her head and stared at her lap, and then felt Rhodey's arm surround her shoulders before he spoke once again.

"She's gonna be alright. She always is."

Not sure what else to say, the younger Potts sister just nodded along.

xxxXXXxxx

He deposited the ambulance by the entrance of the hospital. He then returned his feet to the ground and retracted his armor. A few nurses and a doctor were already waiting for them by the entrance to the emergency room area, as were a couple of security guards. Tony knew that the guards were there to try to stop him from following the staff to wherever they took Pepper to care for her, but he already knew that everyone there had another thing coming if they expected him to just be quiet and wait outside.

"Female, Caucasian, late teens, was found unresponsive by a hall monitor on the floor at school."

"She's eighteen," Tony clarified, walking just a couple of paces behind the medical party.

"Any signs of trauma?" one doctor asked while a nurse began preparing Pepper's arm for an IV line.

"None. Witnesses said she just fell without warning," one paramedic replied.

"She was fine this morning," Tony interjected, but his words appeared to be interesting to no one.

"Known medical conditions?"

"None!" Tony exclaimed; yet, once again, no one seemed to be paying attention to him.

"Any illegal substances? Possible overdose?"

"Are you kidding me? She doesn't do drugs!" Tony snarled.

"Pupils are not dilated," the second paramedic said.

"Because she doesn't do drugs!" Tony snarled.

"Is she taking any medication?" this time, the doctor directed his question at the inventor himself.

"No. I don't think she is. No."

"Any known allergies?"

"Wasp stings and strawberries. Especially strawberries."

"What's the reaction? Do you know?"

"A skin rash. Sometimes hives," Tony replied. "But she wouldn't eat them. She knows they're bad for her."

"Where were you when she collapsed?"

"Outside. I was waiting for her to go home."

"Her place?"

"No. Mine."

"Your home?"

"Yes. It's Friday. It's what we do."

"You live with your father?"

"No," Tony shook his head. "I live alone."

After the inventor's response, everyone suddenly stopped their trek and narrowed their eyes at him.

"What?" Tony's head recoiled.

Instead of replying, the doctor and the guards exchanged a knowing look, which was then followed by Tony's hands being cuffed behind his back.

"Hey! HEY! What _the_ …! What's going on?!"

"Call the police," the doctor ordered one of the guards before he faced a nurse. "And test our patient for possible predator drugs and signs of any recent sexual assault."

"WHAT? Drugs? Assault? Are you f– She's NOT breathing! Don't you see that? Would you just help her, please!"

"Keep him away from her," the doctor said sternly before he half-turned and then disappeared with everyone else behind the double doors that led to the back of the ER.

Tony screamed as he was being pulled away by the guards. He kicked, cursed and thrashed, but not even Extremis was able to give him the necessary strength to set himself free from the restrains that had been placed on him.

"I didn't hurt her! You have it all wrong! I would _never_ hurt her! Let me go! Let me go see her!"

"Yeah, right. You just wanna cover up any sign that you slipped her something," one of the guards said before he reached for his radio. "This is Williams. Please call NYPD. We have a possible sexual assaulter on premise."

"Cover up… Slipped her… Are you crazy? I didn't… She… Let me _GO_!"

"In your dreams, rich boy," the second guard shoved Tony's face against a wall before he whispered his next words.

"No sign of trauma, allergies she knows to avoid, you waiting for her, ready to take her home right when she collapses, it's all pointing one direction. _You_ drugged your girlfriend. So much for being a hero, huh?"

xxxXXXxxx

The only reason why he had not used Extremis or his armor to get himself out of the precarious situation he was in was because he did not want to make matters worse. He had not even called his father or Roberta to ask for help, mostly because he knew that he had done nothing wrong. He just had to wait for a little while longer while the last tests run on Pepper came back. As soon as he hacked into the laboratory database for her results and he found out what had actually happened to her – and he confirmed that she was alright – he would bring hell to everyone who had kept him from seeing her.

How could anyone think that he had tried to take advantage of her? How could anyone possibly imagine that he would hurt her?

Whatever had led the doctors and the guards to think they had caught him red-handed were nothing but idiots. They had made a massive leap over the canyon of logic to arrive at the conclusion that he was to blame for this. They were probably hoping to come across as heroes for having exposed a scandal that tarnished the image of a beloved hero. And he knew exactly what to do with people like them.

He lifted his gaze from the floor to stare at the door when it suddenly opened, and he narrowed his eyes at the two cops that had been holding him against his will in one of the small waiting rooms at the hospital, able to do so on the grounds that he was not under arrest for now, merely being _detained_ for the time being. They had already questioned him, and had even played Good Cop/Bad Cop with him; but he never changed his tune. He had no reason to do so. He knew that he was not responsible for whatever had made Pepper stop breathing, hours ago. He had no idea what they were coming in here for yet again. He had nothing left to say to either of them.

"Here he is," one of the two officers said to a third person that came inside the room after them: Virgil Potts.

"Mr. Potts," Tony was on his feet in no time, noticeably surprised to see the man standing there. "Mr. Potts, I swear you to you, I'd never–"

Virgil stopped Tony's words by lifting his right palm towards him. He then took out his badge and showed it to the two officers in the room, visibly taking them aback.

"You a Fed?" one officer snarled, sounding betrayed. "You said you were the girl's father. You didn't tell us you're a Fed."

"She IS my daughter. _You_ just didn't ask if I was Fed."

"Oh," one officer chuckled. "You want to beat the kid up for what he did to your little girl? Is that what it is? We get ya! We won't get in your way."

"For the last time! I didn't–"

"It's OK, Tony," Virgil began, his eyes on the two officers before him. "Unlock the cuffs."

"What?"

"You heard me," Virgil glared at the cops.

"But he's Iron Man. He's easier to beat if he's cuffed."

"I'm not going to beat him. I'm here to take him with me."

"You're gonna arrest him?"

"No. I'm setting him free."

"No, you ain't. He's our suspect. Not yours."

"Oh, really?" Virgil flared his nostrils. "Where did you find the suspect?"

"Right here."

"And where did he commit the _crime_?"

"His home, presumably."

"Alright. Tony, where do you live?"

"Jersey, sir," the inventor replied.

"And where were you arrested?"

"Here. New York."

"So, it seems you crossed stated lines, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Tony smirked, finally catching on Virgil's trail of thought. "It appears that I did."

"Now, correct me if I'm wrong," Virgil turned to the officers, "But he didn't commit the alleged crime in your jurisdiction. Which means…"

"You _have_ to let me go."

"No, we don't. We just have to transfer custody of you to Jersey to be arrested."

"But he's not wanted in Jersey. There's no APB or warrant for him."

"And the tests came back clear," Roberta Rhodes said, suddenly appearing by the door in all her attorney glory. "Ms. Potts was not assaulted or drugged. She just had an extreme reaction to known allergens."

"And who gave her the allergens?" one of the cops asked in a mocking tone, his eyes drilling holes in Tony.

"Why don't you find out and call me when you do," Virgil said with a scoff, his hand gesturing for Tony to be unshackled.

"Damn Feds," the second officer mumbled under his breath as he walked towards Tony to reluctantly remove the handcuffs. "All bought and paid for by the rich boy."

"Then you'll hate it when I see _you_ in court," Tony's face was now inches from the officer, a look of disrespect and hate on his features and pose that made even Virgil Potts gulp.

"For what? We ain't done nothing wrong," the first officer spat.

"Roberta?" Tony spared the woman a glance.

"I'm afraid I'll need your names and your badge numbers, and your superior's contact information, too. Right now."

"But–"

"Gentlemen," Virgil began. "Please don't take up much of our family attorney's time."

Unwillingly, the two officers began to comply.

Knowing that the lawyer could handle the rest of the process by herself, Tony and Virgil exited the room. Tony's eyes then immediately looked towards the direction where he knew Pepper was being kept under observation, thanks to him hacking the check-in records of the reception, but he fought the urge to rush towards her just yet.

"Mr. Potts," the genius shook his head and faced the father. "I don't know what it is that you heard about me, but I didn't–"

"I know, Tony," Virgil smiled at the inventor. "I'm sorry I took so long to come get you."

"I don't care. I mean: thank you. Thank you very much. I just… Is she… Is Pepper gonna be alright?"

"Yes, she is. I can bring her home tonight, actually. But, don't take my word for it. Go see her. She's been asking about you."

"Thank you, Mr. Potts."

"Don't mention it. Just one thing, though: please don't tell her you were detained. I told her you were helping me clear things up with the doctors and the school. She's still a little bit weak. I didn't want to upset her. Rhodey and Samantha have been keeping her company since she woke up, an hour ago, but I don't know how much longer they can keep her from asking where you are."

"I won't say a thing to her. I just want to see her."

"Thanks, son."

Tony took a moment to look over Virgil's shoulder to see that Roberta was still talking to the officers, but he did not move. He was caught between wanting to run towards Pepper, and debating whether or not he had more to say to the man that had helped him _escape_. After nearly a minute of silence between them, Virgil chuckled, patted Tony's left shoulder, and then pointed towards his left side with the top of his head.

"Go, Tony. We're OK here."

He could tell that Tony was dying to go see his daughter, but that he was also torn between his need to be polite to the father of the girl he was dating. However, as soon as he assured the blue-eyed boy that he was free to go do what he was clearly desperate to do, he watched him speed his way towards and inside the hospital room where Pepper waited for him, both men completely unaware that the person responsible for his oldest daughter's mishap was already with her in the room.

* * *

 **A/N:** I couldn't leave you, my Faithful Readers, with such a horrible cliffy, especially after you were all so patient with me and totally receptive to the most recent (and super late) update. I hope you enjoyed this little bit!


	23. Chapter 22

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thanks for the favorites/follows:** _Tashy 17._

 **Jessica: Omfg epic that was amazing AaAh I'm like so hyped rights now I need to know what happens next it'll bug me all day !,but amazing chap as always would love for you to update more sooner tho xxx** – Triple feature this weekend! Hope you like this tone too!

* * *

 **Chapter 22**

She was trying her best to keep her eyes open, but she _still_ felt tired as heck. She had gotten very little sleep two nights ago, when she had been with Tony. Then, she had slaved away her detention time at school, only to then end the school day by stupidly eating a strawberry-filled cupcake that had been offered to her, which had in turn landed her in the hospital – and had nearly killed her, apparently; although, she remembered nothing about that. Then, last night, when she had finally been released from the hospital and been brought home, she had spent most of the night tossing and turning, unable to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Then today, at six o'clock in the morning, on a _Saturday_ of all days, Tony Stark had knocked at her front door; bringing with him a family breakfast and all.

A box of donuts, a bag of bagels, and gallon of hot coffee later – Virgil Potts had agreed to let the redhead spend the day with her boyfriend at the inventor's home, which gave the father an opportunity to both be close to his daughter's current location, just in case she fell ill again, and relaxing himself in the company of Howard Stark, as he would be visiting the elder Stark at his own residence today, located relatively nearby to Tony's place. Surprisingly to the FBI agent and Pepper, Samantha had opted to stay home, claiming that she needed to sleep as much as Pepper needed recovery time. Neither of them had questioned her motives. In the end, they knew, these past few weeks were probably the most eventful the brunette had ever had in her entire life.

That was if, of course, no one counted hiding and running away from one's mother while one's older sister took yet another beating for you. Then again, _again_ , the irony of this situation was that Pepper would have never eaten the darned cupcake had she still been living with her mother. The woman had had a crazy, nearly obsessive way to keep tabs on everything and anything that could make it to either of her daughter's lips. If there had been _one_ single good thing about the former Mrs. Potts, was that once she had realized that Pepper had food allergies – albeit only one – she had made sure that the redhead had never been exposed to it again.

What would her mother say, if she were to find out how stupid she had been? It was bad enough that everyone had been so worried about her. She had not meant to scare anyone. She had just been distracted enough to not think about what she was putting in her mouth before she did.

"Let's go to bed," the ginger barely heard her boyfriend tell her, but she did feel his arms lifting her up from the couch. The entire moment was very familiar to her, comforting, too, so she just let him do as he pleased. She was too tired to argue with him, and she knew that he was still worried sick about her health. She could not blame him for it, either. She could not imagine what he and anyone close to her had felt when they had found out she had been on the brink of life and death.

 _Last time I eat anything I didn't make without checking it over first_ , she berated herself, eyes closed, feeling relieved that Tony had not been too mad at her for her slip-up. She knew she should have considered the possibility that there was strawberry in the sweet, but she had been to hung up on the fact that she had not had the chance to eat the cookies she and Tony had tried to make, just the day before. Besides, the alternatives for the couple of cupcakes that Stephen had offered her were being thrown in the trashcan; she just could not say no to free food – especially treats! The consequences of one delicious cupcake, however, were not worth the savory taste of it at all.

Then again, she was sure that Tony would have liked the second cupcake too; the one that she had planned to give to him, anyway, if it had not fallen from her hands and onto the floor when she had passed out, halfway to the exit of the school. The moment she had taken the last bite of the cupcake, she had finally identified the vaguely familiar taste that she could not quite place when she had started eating the treat, but she remembered how in the past the consumption of strawberries had only caused her to break out into a mild case of hives – she had not expected a full-on anaphylactic shock to incapacitate her so greatly and so quickly. Thanks to her _little_ mishap, she now had to carry with her an epinephrine injection, very likely so for the rest of her entire life.

Not to mention, her food and eating habits would probably be under eternal scrutiny from none other than the blue-eyed inventor himself.

 _Poor Tony_ , the redhead inwardly sighed. _He must have been freaked!_

Granted, everyone that knew her had feared the worst, but Tony was the one who had been doting upon her every single second since he had been able to finally see her the night before. She was not sure she would be able to live with an overbearing genius by her side, twenty-four-seven, but she was at least going to let him get it out of his system while she felt too weak to shake him out of his fear-induced, highly and unnecessarily protective state.

Besides, her weakened stated had prevented them from speaking about _that_. Which was fine by her right now, since she did not yet feel ready to face that particular tune herself.

"Are you cold, Pep?" the genius whispered into her left ear, his arms circling her waist from his position behind her in his bed, spooning her if just to make sure that he could feel her breathe in and breathe out.

"No," she replied and snuggled closer to him, her body instantly relaxing that much more than it had been while in the living room of his penthouse.

"If you feel uncomfortable or need something, tell me, OK?"

"Mmhhh," she was falling asleep fast.

"Sleep tight, babe."

Her body going limp in his welcoming arms and her subsequent light snores were her only response. Yet, he remained awake for nearly another hour, needing nothing more than to hear her being alive.

xxxXXXxxx

She found him waiting for her in the alley behind her apartment complex, just as she had instructed him to do. She did not want to risk going to school, to the mall, or to any other public place to speak with the boy, even if she was not entirely comfortable meeting up with a high school senior in private, but she also could not wait until Monday to see him at the academy, either. It would be too obvious and stupid on her part, as it would make it easy for the incident to be traced back to her. Thankfully, her entire family was going to be out for a few hours today – perhaps even until late at night – while thinking that she was simply resting back at home. This was the best chance she would ever have to give her accomplice his next set of orders until the next opportunity came around.

"What took you so long?" Stephen asked, his tone of voice dripping with obvious yet justified fear.

"She's fine," Samantha rolled her eyes at him, answering the one question he had not yet asked but that she knew he had, if only just to tame the brute beast while making him receptive to her new request.

"She'd better be! You didn't tell me she was allergic to strawberries. Or that she'd nearly die," Stephen shifted his eyes left and right, as if expecting to be jumped any second.

"I didn't know she would react that badly. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked you to offer her the cupcake. I don't want to kill my sister."

"You just want to steal her man."

"And you just want to make sure Tony doesn't find out you gave her the treat."

"If he does, I'll throw your name out there, Princess. You ain't innocent here."

"Relax," she dismissed Stephen's concerns with a wave of her right hand. "Pepper calmed him down for you. Even if he already knows it was you who gave her the pastry, he's not gonna beat you up."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Yesterday, I heard him promise to Pepper that he wouldn't lay a finger on you."

"Oh, OK," Stephen visibly relaxed and sighed in relief. It was common knowledge that Tony Stark, for the most part, kept his promises – especially the ones he made to his redhead.

"Anyway," Sam waved the pile of papers she had brought with her and then handed them to the jock. "Here's this week's load of homework, all ready to be turned in. I made a few intentional errors, just to make sure they don't suspect you didn't do the homework yourself. Coach won't send you to the bench anymore, though."

"Sweet!" Stephen grabbed the assignments and smiled. If it had not been for Samantha Potts offering this trade, he would have never played basketball at the academy ever again. He had tried to study, and he had tried tutoring, but he had come to the conclusion that he was simply too inept to understand basic mathematics, science, or even art. Becoming the brunette's muscle was certainly paying off.

"Hey," she snapped her fingers twice at him to get his attention. "Listen up!"

"K," he nodded and stared her directly in the eye.

"Do you know Rick?"

"Majors?"

"Yup."

"Yeah. We used to hang, but when I found out that he doesn't follow _Bro Code_ , I stopped talking to him. He dated the girl I liked. _After_ we had already started going out!"

"Really? He stole your girl? While you were _still_ dating her?" the girl asked with fake surprise and feigned interest, as she already knew the answer to her inquiry before Stephen said it aloud. If there was something useful she had inherited from her father, it was her ability to find valuable information with ease. And if there was something positive about her mother's genes, it was her ability to make people believe whatever she wanted them to believe.

"Yeah. The jerk."

"That's not cool. But hey! We may have a chance to get back at him."

"Really? We do? How?"

"Well, it's kinda hard to accomplish. And it requires a lot of effort and, well, manning up. It might not be something you're interested in."

"Heck, yeah, I am!" Stephen puffed out his chest.

"Are you sure? Because you seem to be afraid of Tony Stark. And if this goes wrong, Tony's gonna be very mad at you."

"He is? Well, I… Uhm… What is it, anyway?"

"Are you sure you want to know? Because if you're just gonna back out of it, I'll just find someone else's homework to do."

"NO! Tell me. I wanna know."

"I don't think you do. It'll require that you talk to Rick again. And that you pretend to be his friend."

"It does?" Stephen scrunched his nose. "Oh, man!"

"But it will also make Tony mad at him, and not at you. _And_ it will get you TWO weeks of no homework."

"Two weeks?!"

"Yup. Two. Weeks. And, I'll even throw in letting you copy off my tests."

"Man! That's tempting."

Samantha merely shrugged.

"It is, I guess. I mean, if I were you, and this Rick guy knowingly took from me the one person I liked… and I was _then_ given a chance to have Tony Stark beat him up for me, I'd probably go for it. But, you know, that's just _me_."

"Right. Right. But, I don't see how me talking to Rick would get him jumped by Stark."

"Well, think about it: why would Tony Stark beat up another man?"

"Uhm," Stephen scratched the top of his head. "Oh, I know! Bad guy! Or robber! Someone who wants to take over the world!"

"Well, yeah. But that's more an answer as to why would _Iron Man_ would beat up another man."

"But Tony Stark _is_ Iron Man. Ain't that the same?"

Samantha pursed her lips, swallowed down the snarky retort that threatened to escape her, and then sighed.

"Yes. They're, technically, the same person. But, let's pretend that Tony Stark isn't Iron Man. And let's pretend there's no robbers, or bad guys, or aliens in the sky. Why would someone like Tony want to punch someone's lights out?"

"They… talk… trash about his mom? Oh! Did _someone_ talk trash about his mom? Did _Rick_ talk trash about Stark's mom? That's not cool."

 _Oh, jeez!_

" _Anyone_ who talks trash about anyone's mom would get beat up, Stephen. But no: Rick didn't talk trash about Tony's mom. _No one_ talked trash about Tony's mom. In fact, why would anyone talk bad about Tony's mom? She's dead."

"Oh, yeah," Stephen's shoulders slumped. "Poor dude. Forgot about that."

"Anyway. Back to my original question. Why would Tony Stark feel the need to beat up another man?"

"'Cuz they tried to make a move on Potts," the jock said without missing a beat and then gasped.

"Bingo."

"Oh, no! Heck, no! Nuh-uh! I ain't making a move on Potts! Stark would castrate me!"

Samantha raised her eyebrows, crossed her arms, tapped her right foot against the ground, and then waited for the hamster in Stephen's head to spin its wheel enough to catch up with real life.

"Oh! Oh, wait! It wouldn't be me, right?"

"Right."

"It would be Rick."

"Yup. We just have to make sure that he does. And that Tony finds out about it too."

"But how would that even happen? Rick's a jerk, but not stupid. He wouldn't hit on Potts, even if we paid him."

"OK, for one: stop calling her _Potts_. That's my last name too, and I'm right here, so it's annoying me that you're using it like it belongs to someone else. For two: he would if he thought he had a chance."

"But he _doesn't_ have a chance. No one does. Ain't nothing getting in between those two. Well, Whitney Stane came close. And Happy Hogan, too. But that was before Stark even realized that he had the hots for Potts… er, _Pepper_. We all knew. Except him. What a dummy."

"That's what you think," Sam smiled. "But I have the perfect way for Rick to think that he's got a chance with my sister."

"Really? How?"

"I'll tell you… but only if you're in."

"Ugh," Stephen groaned. "I was afraid you'd say that."

"So, what's it gonna be? Two more weeks of homework or not?"

"Aw, man! I need the good grades…"

"So, then say _yes_."

"But I don't want to get beat up by Tony."

"You won't."

"I don't know. I mean: how can I be sure?"

"Don't waste my time, Stephen. There are others I can ask."

"No! Don't! I…" Stephen sighed. "So, all I gotta do is whatever you tell me so that Rick thinks he can steal Pepper from Stark?"

"Yup."

"But _I_ don't gotta hit on her, right?"

"Right."

"And I won't hurt her again, right? I don't wanna hurt her. She's nice."

"No. You won't hurt her again. I promise."

"And Stark won't know it was me who helped Rick?"

"No. He won't."

"Are you sure? 'Cuz you said he wouldn't find out it was me who gave her the cupcake of death."

"Actually, what I said was that he wouldn't blame you for it. Did he?"

"No. I-I… I guess not."

"So, do we have a deal?"

"Yeah," Stephen nodded. "Yeah, I guess we do."

"Great!" Samantha beamed and waved over the jock towards the exit of the alley. "Now, let's go to Belly Busters, my treat, and I'll tell you what we're gonna do."


	24. Chapter 23

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thanks for the favorites/follows:** _AbsolutelyOverYue_ and _QueenAllieK._

 **Marina: Amazing and thank you xxxxx can't wait for the next chap**

 **apps: Big thanks for back to back updates...but my heart is really aching to see that our pepperony still have more suffering on their way...if no one then i am going to go and tell tony that its all samantha is responsible for all this mess...:(:(** \- LOL! It's gonna be a while before they find out about it… but can you imagine how that's gonna go when they do? I wouldn't want to be Samantha then! Or ever, actually.

 **Miss geek: The fudge ?! I don't check in a few days and I miss a lot O_O oh lord anyway great to hear everything is all well and about the last chapter I knew it ! This bitch of the west is evil just when I thought she's genuinely concerned for her sister but no the lies ! Oooooh I so want pepper to throw her into an ocean and for her to break down in tears and break up with tony for like a sec to punish him for sticking up for her sister and then do the while I told you so rant and Yh that's a lot anyway that what I think will happen ok maybe not the ocean bit** – ROFLMAO! There's an image to tall that… a funny one. And maybe a recommendation for the fic :P

 **Miss geek: Great to know everything is all ok with ur dad and so First of all yessssss u updated! *Runs around and falls on the floor* I'm ok ! And second the fudge ?! Ive been checking for updates soooo many times and the second I dont check For a few days I miss sooo much O_O ? Anyway I knew it ! This bitch of the west is evillllll at first I'm like why the fudge is she concerned then it all makes sense... she's a bitch but then again I don't want to insult female dogs anyway please update !** – Good call. Female dogs are amazing. Samantha… well… let's just say one of my Faithful Readers figures out what's the matter with her. Though, I don't think that will earn her any sympathy at all XD

 **Lily k: Update xx** – Here it be!

 **Desperate: Where the update at hon I need my pepperony –** Sorry! Long story with reasons for not updating (no, seriously, reasons this time), follows!

 **Allie k: When will you update ? –** Writing this chapter was like pulling teeth. Without anesthesia. From a newborn. But I hope you like it!

 **Allison: I give up ...been waiting nearly 2 weeks hon I can't deal with this I check like everyday** – SOOORRRY! *begs for fogiveness*Life and all!

 **A/N:** Sooo… in case anyone is wondering where the hell I have been… let's just recap: 1) had a major case of writer's block after my last update; 2) when I felt a little bit of inspiration to write, my laptop's hard drive crashed; 3) hours after I realized my laptop was MIA and that I needed to install a new hard drive and all software on it, my sister called me to tell me her husband was in the ER with appendicitis, having emergency surgery, and she was bawling; 5) hours after my sister called me, my dad called me to tell me my cousin (who had been fighting cancer for two years) had died, at 40 years of age (not much older than I am); 6) needless to say, all of that hitting me too fast took all inspiration and will away… until today… or at least until this morning, when me and the hubby were involved in a CAR ACCIDENT. No. Seriously. A lady, on her phone, with no license and insurance, ran a red light and hit us head on. Sigh. I spent most of today sleeping away some of my misfortune, and then woke up just to write this for you. I hope you like it :)

Oh! And my hubby posted an IMAA Halloween-theme story titled "Don't Fear." Check it out, if you can!

* * *

 **Chapter 23**

 _CRASH!_

 _"No!"_

 _BANG!_

 _"Oh sh–"_

The initial ruckus woke him with a start. The subsequent loud sounds of denial made him jump from the bed. But it was the cursing that made him run frantically towards his kitchen; to the origin of all the noise.

"Pepper!"

His heart was beating fast; his eyes almost ready to see her lying on the floor, perhaps the victim of another allergic reaction – or worse.

"Aw, man!" the redhead groaned. "I woke you up, didn't I? Ugh! I so woke you up!"

"Are you OK?"

He looked all around him, noticed the evidence of the cookies they had tried to bake two days ago still present, and now a mess of a set of pots and pans adorned the marble floor.

"Yeah, just hungry," she sighed and began picking up some of the kitchen items she had inadvertently dropped. Tony padded towards her location and started aiding her in clearing the floor from debris.

"What are you hungry for, Pep? You… Wait…" he took the pots from her hands and dumped them inside the sink. "You-you didn't eat anything bad, did you? Oh, crud! Did you eat strawberries? DID YOU BRING YOUR EPI-PEN?!"

The genius looked left and right, as if the injection would be lying on the floor for whatever reason.

"Tony, I–"

"Let me call 911!" he patted his body for a phone and then groaned when he did not find it on his person.

"Don't ca–"

"No, you're right," he snapped his fingers in realization, "They'll take too long. I'll just take you there myself!"

"Tony, listen–" she was interrupted by his right hand clutching hers.

"There's no time to waste. Let's go!" he began dragging her with him out of the kitchen.

"But, I–"

"We need to store epinephrine injections here."

"We–"

"And at school, too. And the armory, while we're at it."

"Tony–"

"Get dressed," he pointed towards the couch, once they reached the living room, where her regular clothes lay.

"I don't–"

"Actually, never mind," he released her hand to search for his phone and wallet. "Pajamas are OK."

"Tony, please listen."

"Come on, Pep," he suddenly threw her over his right shoulder without much trouble or warning, leaving the ginger to feel like nothing more than a sack of potatoes.

"Ah! What are you doing?!"

"How long ago did you eat the strawberry?" he began walking towards the front door, his girlfriend in tow.

"I don't… didn't – ugh! Tony, put me down!"

"Is your dad still here?" he held his phone in his left hand while his right arm went around her waist to keep her from sliding off his shoulder. "Let me text him."

"Tony… Tony…" she slapped his back a few times to no avail. "TONY, _STOP_!"

"Huh? What was that? Stop, what?"

"YOU! YOU, STOP! RIGHT NOW! PUT. ME. DOWN!"

"What? Why?" he was taken aback by the clear frustration in her voice, but he still effortlessly slid her down from his shoulder to carry her in his arms.

"Because you need to calm the heck down!"

"For bad news? Was it a wasp instead of a strawberry?" his eyes suddenly widened, "Oh, my gosh! WAS IT BOTH?!"

"NO!" she wiggled in his arms and kicked her legs up and down, hoping he would take the hint that she wanted to be set her back on her feet so that she could shake some sense into him, but he was not reading any of the obvious signs. Instead, he sat on the couch, her form still in his arms, leaving her to sit sideways on his lap. He then rested his right hand on her lower back to hold her weight for her, and laid his left hand on her cheek.

"Are you feeling ill already? Where did the wasp sting you? Is your throat closing? _Where_ is your pen?"

"TONY!" she held his head in her hands and forced him to face her. "Please calm down and _listen_ : I'm fine. I'm totally fine, OK? The pen is in my armor. I haven't been stung. No: my throat is not closing and I don't feel ill. I haven't eaten _anything_ , bad or otherwise… and _that's_ the problem. I'm starving, alright? That's what my only problem is right now. I'm hungry! Very hungry! And you're not helping! I need FOOD, _not_ the ER!"

His blue eyes stared at her hazel ones, blinking rapidly as he processed every single one of her words, feeling like an overly-worrying fool with every passing second and with every large gasp of air she took in to recover from the long spiel she had to resort to using to calm his nerves and frantic motions. He then felt her grip on his face loosen a little, her breathing stabilizing once more when she saw the look of dawning understanding and realization in his features. Yet, before she completely removed her hands from his cheeks or pulled her face away from his, he held them in place with his own and shook his head at his own silliness. He then chuckled lightly in slight embarrassment of his actions and smiled fondly at her.

"I love you, Pep."

Her mouth went agape as she felt her cheeks burn. The tone he had used to utter the unexpected phrase suddenly reminded her of their yet-to-be-discussed encounter of a couple of nights ago. It did not help matters any when he then pressed their foreheads together and playfully kissed the tip of her nose, which only served to make the butterflies in her stomach flutter even more. This was the closest contact they had had since that night – or at least one in a moment she was conscious enough to fully understand the magnitude of being alone together again, not even two days after having crossed a rather important threshold in their relationship.

Before that moment had taken place, they had been two best friends whom had liked and trusted each other enough to test the waters of a potentially serious relationship. Today, they were also now two people who had openly chosen one another to experience the first intimate encounter of their entire lives – even if they were yet to fully understand what all of that really meant.

No matter what happened now, however, or what did not happen later, the two of them had enough sense to realize that their lives had changed forever – for better or for worse. On the other hand, knowing the magnitude of their actions was one thing; speaking about it and acknowledging it aloud, to each other, was something else.

She cleared her throat and clung to his shoulders, hoping he would not accidentally disarm her again with yet another loving, electric-blue glance of his, and then finally spoke, hoping her delayed response was not taken by him for hesitation of her feelings on her part.

"Tony, I love you, too."

She could not see him do so, but he smiled wide.

She could not hear it, but his heart began beating fast; her voice and her presence making his entire body tingle now that the recent misunderstanding was cleared up.

She could not sense it within him, but he felt even more connected to her than he had ever thought was physically, mentally, and emotionally possible for any human being – no matter how in love they claimed to be.

They were fully-clothed, the mood nowhere in the same vicinity as it had been that night, yet he abruptly felt as at peace and as content as he had been after being with her. Perhaps it was leftover sensations from then, triggered by the scent of her perfume and by the feel of her warm skin against his. It could have been the fact that she was safe and sound in his arms, and his mind was finally coming to fully believe that she was going to be alright. Or, at the very least, maybe it was simply just a case of an overproduction of oxytocin in his brain. He knew that this was what love was after all, at its most scientific level. There was nothing otherworldly about it; about how he was feeling right now – everyone else on the planet felt it, in more or less the same way; as nature and evolution had shaped it to be.

Nevertheless, just because it was ingrained biology that had taken the reigns, this did not mean that he would set aside or dismiss his feelings for her because they were expected, nor would he assume that he had no right to or that it was unnecessary to verbalize his thoughts. She deserved to know how he felt about her and about them together. She deserved to know what he thought about it all; even if she was yet to ask about it and even though she appeared to be as shy about the subject as he was himself.

It was now or never – and he preferred _now_.

"I don't regret it," he suddenly whispered to her ear when she, uncharacteristically so, did not say anything else for almost a minute. He then circled her back with his arms and placed a chaste kiss on her left shoulder before whispering to her ear once more.

"That night, Pep. I don't regret any of it. None of it at all."

She took thirty more seconds to verbally reply, but she did squeeze him harder immediately after his original retort, reveling in how his hands and lips tended to her. He had always been gentle with her; more so after they had started dating, but she never grew tired or became unsurprised by how he made every effort to make her feel precious to him. She would have never, in a _billion_ years, pictured the clueless rich boy she had met years ago – the one that would bounce right back after taking a beating in his suit of armor, only to give his enemies a taste of their own medicine – to also be someone who would experience no qualms in clearly and tenderly displaying the very important place in his life that the people he loved and cared about held.

He had done so when they had been friends. He had done so even more when they had started going out. And he had made it extremely clear when they had been together that night. Remorse for his actions and words were not something he harbored within him now. And neither did she.

"I don't either," Pepper shuddered when his nails raked her back over her shirt, ever so slightly. "But, I'm just… I… I-I feel… kinda… sorta…. Well, a little bit–"

"Embarrassed?" he smirked.

"Yeah."

He breathing in, slowly pulled his face away from her shoulder, and then briefly pressed his lips against hers.

"Me too," he said after a nervous gulp.

"Really?"

"Yeah. More embarrassed than when you and Rhodey caught me jamming to my MP3 player."

Not a second later, with the image of Tony Stark shaking his business all around, thinking himself to be alone in the lab, they both chuckled in unison.

"Oh, man! That was pretty embarrassing."

"I'll say! Why do you think I installed motion detectors after that?"

"Oh, Tony! You're still blackmailable – motion detectors in place or not!" Pepper giggled and shook her head. "And I get it. I totally get it. But, do you think next time will be easier?"

"N-N-e-e-ext time?"

If the moment and the topic of conversation was not making her feel so awkward, she would have laughed at the squeaky tone Tony's voice had just taken, or at how funnily shocked his wide eyes made him appear. Plus, she would have had a better response herself. Or, at the very least, she would have in the first place filtered what she had said before she had said it.

"Uhm, I mean… uh… I-I-I, Tony… I don't… expect us… to-to…"

"I'm not… saying _no_ ," he shrugged.

"Oh?"

"I… I just… I wouldn't say _no_ to you… on that…"

"But?"

"I just don't think… maybe we shouldn't…"

"Again. Or, not now."

"Right," he sighed in defeat, yet he was grateful that she was not misinterpreting his intent or words. "Well, I think that we first need to be able to talk about it, right? Be a little more comfortable with it?"

"Yeah. Of course," she smiled and nodded.

"OK," he smiled as well. "But, for the record, for now…" his voice somewhat cracked with the smallest feeling of nervousness. "Just, you know, being clear about it: I wouldn't take it back. I… well… I'm glad that… that-that… that it was… with you."

"Aww, you're so sweet," she felt her cheeks burn once more. "BUT THAT'S NOT HELPING!"

"Sorry," he chuckled, quickly understanding his kind words were not exactly diminishing the mortification in her. "But it's true."

"I know," she looked away and licked her lips. "I mean: for me, too."

When she returned her eyes to his, it was only to lose herself in them for half a second before their lips met again as if pulled together by a magnet. His left arm circled her waist and pulled her closer to him. His right hand rested behind her neck to cradle it and help support its weight when he increased the intensity of the kiss. Her forearms rested on his chest and her hands clung to whatever she could of his clothes and neck; both of her limbs cramped between his chest and hers. His left hand then began sliding down her hip and thigh when she started curling her legs against him, welcoming his tender caresses and delighting in his reactive moans. She was too shy to say it to him right now – and maybe not in a few months or so – but the sounds of his verbal approval of her actions and the show of his affection for her drove her wild.

Perhaps it was the same for him – she could only hope.

Nevertheless, as luck would have it, a loud noise made them pull apart. Their eyes blinked several times while their brains and hormones came down from their high. They stared at one another, breathing hard to catch their breath, stopping only when the sound made its appearance again. It took them a second to make sense of the noise that had so rudely interrupted them. Yet, once it dawned on them what it was, Pepper blushed, placed her hands on her growling stomach, and then looked away from him once more.

"Oh, yeah," he held back a chuckle. "You said you were hungry."

"Sorry," she scratched the back of her head.

"No: _I'm_ sorry, Madame," he stood up with her still in his arms. "I'm being rude to my lovely guest."

"Oh?"

"Why, allow me to make amends," Tony flipped her over so that she was now riding piggyback on him and started heading towards the front door, earning him an amused laugh from the redhead.

"Where are we going?"

"To find food."

"Don't you have something here we can eat?"

"Not something good enough for my love."

"My… uhm… I… I-I… But… What about…"

"Just hang on to me, Pep. It'll be alright."

"Oh… Okay."

"Trust me, babe."

She felt her face burn for the nth time, but she then found courage she did not know she had to say her next words.

"Then go ahead and lead the way, honey. I trust you. With my stomach, that is."

He laughed aloud, clearly amused by her comment, and was unable to hear the finishing thought forming in her mind.

 _And with my heart._


	25. Chapter 24

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thanks for the favorite/follows:** _Go Channel_ , and _JEZZALINCO YOU BEAUTY_.

 **Jexica: Absolutely amazing I need more 3** – Here is more. Thank you so much for waiting for the update :D

 **Guest: I know it's been hard for you ,but can you give a few chapters to make up for the past nearly 3 weeks ...? Xxx** – Sorry it's been so long. More crap happened. But I'm trying really hard to get back on the horse :(

 **Miss geek: Yay ! An update I know it's mean but seeing tony panic is amusing :P but Awww cute chapter so much fluff I'm going to choke :P even Agnes from despicable me will admit "it's SO FLUFFY !" I love her she's a hoot anyway great chapter keep it up** – LOL! Guess what? We have a new nickname for _The Wicked Witch of the West_ (TM Miss Geek). It's _The_ _Queen of Cockblocking_ (TM Spicy Iron). We're getting creative with the nicknames, neh?

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 **Guest: I still check everyday for updates** – Thank you :D I can't say how sorry I am for keeping you all waiting. Trying to get my groove back.

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 **Guest: I still check everyday for updates, talk to us soon** – Hope it's not too late that you guys have forgotten me. I'm still here. Just not all here yet :(

 **A/N: I posted this also in the update for** _ **Aftermath**_ **. Sorry for the repeated message:** Thank you all for your continued support, my Faithful Readers. 2016 is not done with me, so I apologize for my long absence. On top of everything I had shared with you before, the winter break has not been kind to me either. Long story short: I was pregnant – 4 or 5 weeks, to be exact. Now I am not – biology said _no_. Still recovering and feeling exhausted and out of it. Not sure when I'll have the chance to update again. I'm working on getting my groove back (my mood's all over the place). Been reading a lot of fics. Hanging out in TWD forums. Took a vacation. Sleeping a lot. But 2017 is around the corner. Gotta move on. I will.

I hope 2017 brings all of you love, happiness and satisfaction :D I miss you all, my Faithful Readers, so very much.

* * *

 **Chapter 24**

Once the dismissal bell had rung, Tony, Pepper, and Rhodey had decided to walk together to the billionaire's home to hang out for the rest of the day, seeing as it was finally Friday, after all – a much better Friday than their previous one, when the redhead had ended up at the ER, and Tony had been practically arrested for a stupid reason. Roberta was having a field day with that case, and it was very likely that the genius was not only going to get a written apology from the authorities, but also a monetary compensation for _his troubles_ and the _inconvenience_ of it all.

He clearly did not even need the money, but he knew of a certain non-profit charity organization that would be grateful for it.

Much to Pepper's chagrin, however, her sister had invited herself to the Friday after-school affair; and neither Tony nor Rhodey had complained about it one bit. Thankfully for Pepper, Samantha was at least keeping the conversation away from the topics the redhead hoped she did not discuss in front of her friends. Last time they had all had a resemblance of a casual conversation, Tony and Rhodey had almost found out about her mom's constant beatings. That particular instance, she had been able to nip in the bud before anything more was said in the matter – that she knew of, anyway – but she was not sure if she would be able to sidetrack said topic once again.

In fact, as far as she was concerned, if the four of them were never again in the same room at the same time, she would cut her loses and count her blessings. Or, at the very least, if she did not have to again watch her boyfriend bond with her sister, she would give up any other lucky draw of the cards.

Then again, the ginger had seriously and thoroughly considered, being around them when Samantha and Tony hung out was a better option than them hanging together _and_ alone. Even if she was left with little option but holding back her loud sighs of disappointing inadequacy when science talk made its appearance and all she could do was nod along and smile, she would much rather put up with the blatant case of her shortcomings being exposed than to chew off her nails in her room, wondering what they could be doing if on their own. Or, in more exact terms: what Samantha could try to pull on Tony, if given the chance.

It was truly the lesser of two evils, but that did not mean that it was easy to watch. Most especially as of late, when it was clear to the redhead the level of trust that Tony had been developing with her sister – particularly now that they were spending a lot more time together planning their project for _Pym Industries_ – and also blatantly obvious in the knowledge the brunette had of personal facts that the inventor only shared with close friends.

Just as it was the case right now.

"So, is this Extremis at work?"

"Yup," Tony replied.

"Huh."

The brunette stared curiously and in awe at Tony Stark, unsure of how to interpret what she was being a witness of. The genius was walking to her right, looking as if he did not have three extra weights on him; not even close to breaking a sweat. He had his backpack hanging from his front side, Pepper riding on his back, _and_ the ginger had her backpack on her back as well.

"Are you getting tired at all?"

"Nope," Tony answered instantly.

"Do you even _feel_ the weights?"

"Not at all. Or, not in a painful way. I can feel them there, but they're not heavy at all."

"Show off," Rhodey, who was walking to Tony's right, snorted mockingly.

"What? I'm just telling the truth."

"Sure you are! Admit it, Tony: You just don't wanna call Pepper fat."

"I'm not fat! Am I?"

"No, Pep."

"See? Not fat."

"How much can you comfortably carry on your own?" Sam asked, hoping to steer the conversation back to just her and Tony.

"I don't rightly know," Tony frowned, surprised that he had not taken the time to test his Extremis-given abilities at all.

"Maybe we should run some diagnostics on you," Samantha offered. "They could maybe help when designing those _EM-Bugs_ for Dr. Pym, if we decide to use you as a test for their user interface."

"That's true. I think I may have some base levels from before I had Extremis so that we can compare."

"Maybe we can also run several tests in the next few weeks and see if the abilities have peaked or if they're still increasing."

"Huh. That sounds like a good idea. We'd have to find a way to rule out Iron Man missions, though. They could skew the results, if abnormal physical activity enhances the effects of the virus."

"But wouldn't going out on missions be considered normal, in your case?"

"Not as of late. It's been kind of quiet since the Makluan showed up."

"You mean: it's been kind of _boring_ ," Pepper interjected with a sigh and rested her chin on Tony's right shoulder, earning her a smirk and a wink from the inventor himself. "Figures the bad guys decide to take an extended vacation just as I finally get my armor."

"I don't think they were waiting for _you_ to get your armor, Pepper," Rhodey smirked, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "They just don't want to come out because they saw War Machine in action during the Makluan fight. They're probably scared out of their minds just seeing me show up. All big and bad."

Pepper narrowed her eyes at Rhodey and Tony held back a laugh. He could see the early signs of banter starting between his two best friends, and he was glad to have a front row seat for this particular show. He just hoped he was not caught in the middle of it.

"Very funny, James. But you're right, though: War Machine _is_ a big armor, huh? What exactly are you trying to overcompensate for?"

Tony was barely able to swallow down a guffaw.

"Geez, I don't know," Rhodey shrugged, not at all threatened by Pepper's obvious attempt at jabbing at his masculinity. "Why don't _you_ ask Tony and the Hulk Buster armor, huh?"

"As if," she rolled her eyes. "Tony doesn't need to compensate for _anything_."

"Oh, really?" Rhodey's smile widened. "And how exactly would _you_ know _that_?"

The armored romantic couple immediately stiffened at the question; both barely being able to contain a blush.

"I-I-I…" Pepper stuttered, trying and failing to cover her obvious embarrassment.

"You, what?" Rhodey arched a single eyebrow and smiled smugly.

"Drop it, Rhodey," Tony interjected without looking away from the path before him, knowing that Pepper could lose control of her mouth when made uncomfortable. "It was just a comeback. You won. Now leave Pepper alone."

"Trying to hide something, T?"

"Of course not," Tony was not sure how his response had come out sounding so sincere. He was sweating bullets inside.

"Are you sure? Because I think you're hiding something from us."

"I'm not hiding anything from you."

"From Pepper, then?" Rhodey prodded, poking the fire, unable to let the glorious opportunity pass him by. Making the genius or Pepper nervous and uncomfortable always made his day. They were both his best friends and he loved them very much; yet, having the chance to rile them up every once in a while for his personal amusement was a sweet reward for all the effort he put into reigning them in when their adventurous minds got away from them.

"That's what it sounds like to me," Samantha added, wondering if the playful conversation could turn into a possible lover's spat without much effort on her part. She had heard the duo argue the night she had been stuck inside the Rescue armor when attempting to try it on. For all that attraction and understanding they claimed to have for one another, they sure could scream their lungs out at each other.

"Think whatever you want. I don't care. I have no secrets from Pepper and you know it," Tony adjusted Pepper on his back, if for no other reason than to have something to do to calm his nerves.

"Oh, yeah," Rhodey snorted. "You _so_ do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"Do I now?"

"Yup."

"Name one."

"Jake. Vaughn."

"What about Jake Vaughn?" Pepper looked left and right between Samantha and Rhodey after she felt Tony's shoulders tense up.

"Nothing," Tony immediately said.

"You doing this again, man?" Rhodey snickered. "You know what I'm gonna say now, don't ya?"

A groan from Tony was his only response.

"Uh-uh! I know, I know!" Samantha cleared her voice. "I believe the last time Tony said 'nothing' in reference to Jake, Rhodey said, and I quote: _Yeah, he offered you nothing, alright. He offered to have nothing on while with you._ "

"WHAT?"

Pepper's shriek made Tony flinch.

"Don't listen to them, Pep."

"Don't listen to what?"

"Oh, nothing much," Sam said with feigned disinterest. "Just about Jake Vaughn asking Tony if he wanted to sleep with him."

"HE, WHAT?!"

"You heard it," Rhodey replied.

"How? When? Why?"

"Last week, after PE class… while in the boys' locker room."

"W-What?"

"Tony kept staring at him while Jake was showering. He claims to have been daydreaming, which he totally does, but…"

"Jake offered not to tell you about it, Pepper, if it's any consolation" Samantha snickered.

"Drop it, people, alright?" Tony growled.

"Why? You said you had no secrets from Pepper. But she doesn't appear to know this particular one," Rhodey teased.

"FORGET YOU BOTH!" Tony yelled. "You both stink! Pepper, don't listen to them, OK?"

"Not much she can do about it," Sam scoffed. "Besides, everyone at school knows that by now. I'm surprised she didn't know already."

"The whole school knows?!"

"Yup," Rhodey laughed.

"How does the school know?"

"Plenty of witnesses," Rhodey supplied.

"Are you going to senior prom with him?" Samantha nudged Tony's ribs with her right elbow.

"Ugh," Tony groaned. "Pep, a little help here, please?"

"I never thought you would two-time me, Tony," Pepper replied. "And with Jake Vaughn? I can't compete with him! He's so hot!"

"Oh, come on, Pep!" Tony sighed in exasperation at hearing his girlfriend take the teasing side. "Not you too! I just defended you!"

"I know. Sorry, Tony. Couldn't resist," she replied with a small giggle and then held on tighter to his neck.

"I guess you… Wait, did you just say you think Jake's hot?"

"Let's just say I wouldn't blame you if you left me for him."

"Son of a…" Pepper closed her eyes and laughed aloud at Tony's groan. "Keep it up, Pepper, and _I_ won't resist _dropping_ you."

"You wouldn't," the redhead replied with confidence.

"I might," Tony taunted.

"Psh," Rhodey scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like you could do that to her."

"I _could_!" Tony narrowed his eyes at Rhodey. "Why don't you believe me?"

"Because you're a wuss who does whatever your girlfriend tells you?" Samantha suggested with a roll of her eyes and a dismissive wave of her right hand.

"He's _not_ a wuss," Pepper's eyes snapped open to glare at her sister, if just for a quick moment. "He's just caring."

"Wuss," Sam repeated with a condescending tone.

Pepper opened her mouth to insult her sister with whatever first offensive word came to her, but when she realized that it was not worth playing her game, she simply smiled, hugged Tony's neck and then pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"But he's _my_ wuss."

"Geez," Tony smirked, "Thanks, Pepper."

"You're welcome, Tony," she returned the playful smirk and added a wink before she returned the left side of her head against his upper back and closed her eyes once again.

"Careful, Pepper," Sam began. "He might become Jake's wuss."

"Ugh," Tony rolled his eyes.

"That's OK," Pepper replied without opening her eyes or shifting her position. "I don't mind sharing, as long as I'm his number one."

 _Huh_ , Samantha inwardly smirked. _We'll see about that._

xxxXXXxxx

Sneaking out at night had been a tad trickier than she had expected it to be. Not so much so because she was new to the city, but because Tony, Pepper and her father had been watching a movie in the living room for quite some time now. Using the front door to make her exit had not been an option, so out her window and down the emergency stairs she had gone.

The taxi cab driver had not even flinched when his new fare had been a teenage girl, wandering the streets alone at nearly midnight. Tomorrow was Sunday, anyway, so it was likely that it not being a school night had worked in her favor in that regard. Besides, this _was_ the Big Apple. No one cared about anyone else other than themselves. People here were just trying to get by; earn their next cheap buck to pay for their next overpriced meal. The city, as a whole, was not kind. But she knew all about unkindness and how to manage it, all coming from her own kin.

Moreover, the money she had taken from Tony's wallet without permission had also helped her buy the silence of whomever saw her leaving the city, aiming for a destination far, far away. The inventor had been so infatuated with teasing his girlfriend while playing _Cards Against Mankind_ with her that he had not noticed Samantha's sleight of hand. It was not as if her stealing from him would leave him without lunch money for the rest of the week. In fact, he would probably not even notice that some of his money was gone.

Who walked around with nothing but $100 bills, anyway?

 _Tony Stark. That's who._

It had taken her a long time to get to where she now was, but if her plans went as expected, it would all be worth it. It would take her another two hours to get back home, and risk being caught, but if she found what she was looking for, she would count herself lucky. If she was able to put to the test something she had learned from reading Pepper Potts' diary, then this long trip would place her even closer to winning over Tony Stark.

"Well, this can't be right."

The outer perimeter of the middle of nowhere she had come to denoted the area was clearly abandoned – perhaps infested or leaking radioactive waste. No one with a small amount of sanity would set foot here, let alone by themselves. The entire scene, in one word, screamed: death.

Then again, in the grand scheme of things, this was perfect. No one would dare set foot in a place like this and, as such, it became the most logical place for a treasure to hide.

Samantha turned on her flashlight and took deliberate steps towards the imposing-looking structure embedded in the earth. From afar, the building looked like nothing more than worthless ruins. Yet, upon closer inspection, she could see it was more than that – way more than that.

"So this is the Iron Man Armory, huh?" Sam nodded in approval. "Let's see what else we've got."

After pulling out from her backpack Pepper's diary and her notes about what she had stumbled upon in Tony's home lab while working on the _Pym Industries_ project together, Samantha Potts prepared to execute the next step in her plans.


	26. Chapter 25

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 **Thanks for the favorite/follows:** _Cindylou30_.

 **Miss geek: Yessssss she's baaaaaack ! OMG OH MY DAYS! Don't do that to me I've been waiting for this and lol love this chapter but wicked bitch of the west is acting innocent and lol I love that new nickname queen of cockblocking from spicy iron we are gooooooood at these nicknames gosh we must sound so mean :P** – I wonder what other nickname will come to be after Sam pulls yet another one of her moves? ;)

 **Judieeeee: OMG I LOvED this , but you own us at least another chapter from r the months we waited every day XXxXx pretty please XX** – Sorrryyy! I hope this makes up for it :D

 **Guest: Loving this! Please update soon! Its so good, cant wait to read more! –** So glad you're still liking it. I think this chappie will be a favorite one, too.

 **Jhashisaki: this was amazing and I don't mean just this chapter I just read all of it In the past two days and since I'm ina fight with my gf right now it cheered me up. But it's weird when ever Tony and pepper fight I kinda got in a fight to and I didn't initiate it so that was weird. But still great story just please more Adorable Tony x pepper moments. –** YAY! Welcome to the Dark Side! XD I'm sorry to hear about your fight. I hope you guys make up sooner rather than later. Fighting is not fun… but the making up part is ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 25**

She was not sure why she had even bothered to come here. It was not as if she was of any use to anyone anyway. It was not as if Tony had needed her for anything at all since they had arrived to Stark International, shortly after noon. The most she had spoken to her boyfriend today had been to greet him when she had unlocked the front door to let themselves in and they had shared a quick kiss. The rest of the outing, she had been alternating a myriad of activities to kill time: absentmindedly watching television; using _his_ phone to play games, listen to music, and to check on the Temple's logs, hoping for a mission; rummaging his kitchen to find a quick snack; daydreaming; browsing the web; and she had even taken a short nap on his bed.

However, four long hours after saying _hello_ to him, she had had enough.

She cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders until they popped. She stood up from the couch, patted her wrinkled clothes, and headed to the front door. Once there, she sulked to the floor and put on her shoes. She then sprung up, slowly turned the handle, and cracked the door open little by little until it was wide enough for her to fit through it; all while stealing furtive glances towards the pair of nerds working in Tony's home lab. She was not surprised when neither of them noticed she was leaving – they were, as they had been the entire time they had been at his place – too engrossed in whatever science experiments they were working on.

At first, she had tried to follow along the conversation from the comfort of her position on the couch; eavesdropping every now and then, if just to see if an opportunity arose to say something that would make her sound intelligent or useful in his eyes. Yet, as she had predicted before she had invited herself to Samantha's visit to Tony's home, all she had been able to understand were the prepositions in their conversations. Most of the words they were using sounded like gibberish to her, even if she knew what the words themselves meant.

 _"The capacitor is not optimized for energy-efficiency yet."_

 _"The delivery of the payload is being deferred."_

 _"An auxiliary membrane propulsion system seems like a possible solution for the overexertion of the capacitor. Thoughts?"_

What. The. Heck.

After nearly an hour of trying to understand the main issues by means of context – and after realizing a quick internet search on her phone was not going to help her catch up with the conversation at the pace it needed to be done to contribute something of value to it, Pepper decided that she was wasting time and energy trying to follow along. She would probably just get in the way, anyway, if she tried to help. Probably break their train of thought; their super genius, high-level brainstorming session, and look like an idiot while doing so.

Yes. She was aware that her attempts were pointless. He had told her, plenty of times already, that she did not need to learn his language. That he liked her the way she already was. That she did not have to change anything of hers for him to love her the way he did – or as much as he did. But what was she supposed to do when her heart wanted to break at seeing him effusively share his passion for science and technology with someone other than her? And with her sister, of all people? She knew she was being ridiculous and petty – but she was yet to figure out a good way to cope. Sitting here, however, listening to them have a good time being scientists was of no help either.

She made it as far as pressing the down button of the private elevator at Stark International before she heard his voice echo behind her.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?"

"I'm not leaving," her response was out her lips before she reigned in the obvious lie down her throat.

"You put your shoes back on," he observed, his feet taking slow steps towards her back. It was common knowledge between them that she completely forgot about her shoes while visiting him unless she was on her way out for the day. Even out in the halls she was shoeless; her socks provided her the only protection she needed while visiting him at his home.

"You seem to be busy," she hugged herself, still not facing him, the open elevator door inviting her inside.

"Never too busy for you."

Before she could respond, she felt him surround her midsection from behind, leaving her arms trapped under his. He rested his chin on her right shoulder, lightly rocked them both from side to side, and then spoke again.

"Are you hungry? It's almost dinner time. My dad just texted me that he and Mr. Pot–" Tony hesitated, remembering that his girlfriend's father had recently given him the all-clear to address him a tad more informally, "Virgil," the boy continued, "Believe it or not, they're grilling right now."

The genius paused for an instant, hoping to see some hint of excitement coming from the redhead, but she simply shrugged. Even her father was having a better time than she was.

"Rhodey and Roberta are on their way here, too. Feel up to staying a little bit longer for it? I… my… my dad has never grilled before…"

The last statement forced her out of her trance and made her frown as she looked towards her right to face him.

"What?"

This time, the inventor was the one to shrug before he pulled away from her.

"We had hired-help when I was a kid. My mom cooked every now and then, but they were both too busy re-inventing the company after I was born… after my dad decided to stop making weapons and almost bankrupted the company because of it. Barbeques, picnics, and cookouts weren't exactly a thing for us. And then my mom died, and me and my dad just…"

She turned around to face him, unsure as to why he was telling her all of this so suddenly, even though it clearly hurt him to list the things he never got to do as a kid – things that other families did as naturally as it was to breathe. Maybe he thought that she was upset at him for practically ignoring her while he worked, even though he did that often and had it done since they had met. Maybe he was fearful that she was rushing out of the penthouse due to jealousy of her sister and anger towards him. Or maybe he was just seeing the clear signs on her that she had wanted to leave, as soon as she could, no matter what he said to her.

Whatever the reason was, she wanted to placate his fears or doubts. He did not have to beg her to stick around or apologize for doing his job. He had done nothing wrong. It was not really his fault that she felt out of place. They spent a lot of time together, anyway. The strong dedication he put into his projects and inventions was just part of who he was – part of the reason she had fallen in love with him.

"Of course, I'll stay," she said with a smile.

"Great," he smiled back before he moved closer to her, embraced her around her waist and tilted his head from side to side, practically admiring her.

"What?" she scrunched up her nose in feign annoyance.

"N'thing. Just thinking… wondering…"

"Wondering about what?"

"What your plans are for tomorrow."

She narrowed her eyes, thinking about her itinerary, only to come up blank.

"Process oxygen and convert it to carbon dioxide, I guess?"

The bout of laughter that followed her response was louder than she had expected.

"Making science jokes now, aren't we?"

"And good ones, apparently," she smirked. "Did you have anything in mind?"

"I did," he nodded. "I do."

"Aaand?"

"Well," he pulled her closer to him, the mischievous look in his eyes making her gulp. "I was thinking of something along the same lines of what you just said. Processing oxygen… converting it to carbon dioxide… but at a much faster rate."

"Oh?"

"Yup," his voice suddenly turned husky. "Add to it a little bit of diaphoresis. Perhaps even hyperhidrosis. Palpitations. Muscle spasms. Hyperthermia."

Pepper's frown deepened. She tapped her chin with her right index finger a couple of times, left it up to signal the need for a moment, and then pulled away from him.

"One sec," she took out her phone and began searching for the definitions of the words she did not know. Tony bit down his lips to avoid a smug smile from escaping him, all the while loving the look of pure determination and partial confusion on her face.

"OK, so," she began, "We got ragged breathing, excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, and high fever. You either want to give me a heart attack or a critical seizure."

"There are _other_ , more pleasant things humans can do that can make someone sweat and breath heavy, Pep."

"Really? Like what?"

"Jeez, I don't know," he rolled his eyes. "Off the top of my head, how about… baking cookies?"

"Baking cookies?" Pepper's head recoiled. "How the heck would baking cook– errrr… uhm… ah… oh… uh…"

She cleared her throat loudly and scratched her neck nervously, the flush on her face getting worse when he playfully winked at her.

"T-Tony, I… I-I-I…"

"Sparring," he said with a chuckle when she began to fidget in embarrassment and awkwardness. He had meant to invite her to train with him tomorrow, all along, but he had been unable to pass up an opportunity to tease her about the topic they were still learning to be open and comfortable talking about. "Sparring is what I meant, Pepper."

"Sparring… sparring?" she blinked rapidly.

"Yes. You and me. Sparring. Haven't done it in a while."

"Right," she faked a cough. "Sparring, of course. I knew that."

"Did you, really?" he smirked.

"Yeah-hum."

"I'm sure. So, dinner tonight. Sparring tomorrow?"

"Yup. I'm in."

"Cool! Let me just go get your sister and we'll meet everyone else."

 _My sister_ , Pepper held back a groan, silently admitting that she had forgotten about Samantha being just down the hall, her eyes on the retreating form of her boyfriend.

 _Oh, yeah: her._

xxxXXXxxx

She sat on the ground, her legs extended, her arms holding her weight behind her back. She was tired and breathing heavily, and she was certain that once her muscles cooled down, she would be sore as heck for days. Her workout clothes smelled of a day's worth of training with her boyfriend, felt gritty due to the attached sand, and they would both probably also have somewhat of a tan – all courtesy of the private beach Tony had selected as their sparring site.

In Europe.

Yesterday, when he had mentioned to her that he felt like training with her, she had thought that they would be doing so atop Stark International, or maybe on the roof of her apartment complex. A couple of times, they had also kicked the living crud out of each other above the Makluan Temple, so when he had suggested they met there, she had thought it would be the case again today. They only sparred on the roof of the Tomorrow Academy when they were already at school for the day, so the possibility of using a brand-new location for this outing had not even crossed her mind.

He had been quiet for most of the travel time, using Extremis to guide her suit towards their destination and to deliberately keep her from finding out where he was taking her before they got there. She was both fearful and excited during the whole flight to the beach. Fearful because she hated not knowing something, and excited because she loved doing new things with him. He was always surprising her with his kind or over-the-top actions, or with his sweet, caring words; constantly showing her a side of him that she was not even aware had existed. Sometimes, she still saw him just as her best friend, but he then would go and do something utterly romantic or extremely thoughtful for her, and she was happily reminded that this young man _loved_ her.

If someone had told her, a year ago, that she and Tony would become so close, and their lives so intertwined, she would have rolled her eyes, scoffed, and she then would have secretly wished the fortune teller to be right all along.

Back then, she would have never believed it, crystal ball be darned. Heck, sometimes she found herself not believing it either way, even as relevant events unfolded before her eyes. Yet, here she was: wrapping up a day's worth of athletic activity with her one and only, Tony Stark, patiently waiting for the sun to disappear behind the sea.

"Whoo!" Tony patted his skin dry with a towel, a satisfied smile on his face, "That was a workout!"

"Tell me about it! Good thing the armor can fly solo," Pepper said as she tried to lift her bottle of water from the ground with her shaky arm.

"Good thing Extremis keeps me up and about. Here, let me help you," Tony added, noticing her struggle to quench her thirst, and then aided her by holding the plastic bottle in place, tilting it slowly until she pulled her lips away from it to signal she was done. A waterdrop trailed down the side of her mouth and down her chin, but before she could use the back of her hand to wipe it clean, Tony pecked it away, traced its path back to her lips and kept his mouth on hers.

The kiss lasted as long as they were able to survive without a full load of air in their lungs; the salty taste of it not bothering them at all.

When they finally pulled apart, the inventor did not go too far from where he had been lying on the ground. He simply turned his body onto his right side and then rested his head on the ginger's lap, his front facing the sunset over the ocean. Pepper put more pressure on her right arm to hold her weight, leaving her left hand free to comb through his unruly mane. The familiar and welcome touch coming from her made him close his eyes and relax. It was if her hands exuded an elixir of serenity that never failed to comfort his soul.

He could spend the rest of his life like this, with her.

He totally could.

And maybe, just maybe, it was about time he started making it known to her that he was now in an emotional place where the idea of being together forever was crossing his mind.


	27. Chapter 26

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thanks for the favorite/follows:** _adventuremaker16_.

 **AllieLOVESM3: OMG your killing me with loveeeeeeeeee I DESPERATLY Need moreeeeee PLEASE I cannoootttt wait** – MORE LOVE HERE! And a little bit of angst, ain't gonna lie ;)

 **Jhashisaki: Omg yes I loved it, this was so good. And please I am begging you kill Sam make it so that pepper and her get ina fight on the school roof and she Sparta kicks Sam off the edge. And if this were to be animated like the show I think it would get better views than the show. Oh btw me and my gf made up and good thing cause yesterday was our 7 month anniversary and then we got to make cookies if you know what I mean**. – LOL! Sparta kicks! Something WILL happen on the roof that involves Sam getting what she deserves… but not yet. YAY! Making up is the best ;) Especially if "baking cookies" is involved :P

 **Miss geek: Omg OMG OMG ! He's gonna propose or something along those lines ahhhhhh I'm freakingalso loved ur Pokemon stories tooo AHHH I'm such a fan of the first Pokemon series ash misty and Brock and even gary ahh those those were the times such a 90s kid** – YESH! POKESHIPPING FOREVER! Although, I also ship Egoshipping… but Pokeshipping is one of my first ships. I heart it.

 **Scaziieeeeer: Updateeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee** – Here it isssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss :D

 **Guest: Update please it's so cringy with ho it left off** – Sorry! This is a little bit cringy, too, but we got some more fluff, as well ^_^

 **A/N:** Never thank you enough for being so patient with me. I'm still here because of you :D

* * *

 **Chapter 26**

 _It's not unusual to be loved by anyone_

 _It's not unusual to have_ _ **fun**_ _with anyone_

As the song continued to play and the choreography to develop, Tony rested his back against the couch and extended his arms on the back of it, his narrowed gaze reflecting how serious he was about taking in the scene emerging on the screen before him.

 _But when I see you out and about, it's such a crime_

 _If you should ever want to be loved by anyone_

 _It's not unusual_

 _It happens every day_

 _No matter what you say_

The dance moves became even more complex as the song's tempo peaked, bordering on being labeled nothing short of professional grade, but he kept his face from showing any emotion other than pure concentration. He was slowly becoming rather intimidated by the flawless dance that his redhead expected him to learn and perform with her on a live broadcast on national television, but he did not want his anxiety to show on his face. He knew how much this meant to her. He had promised her he would do it. Hell, _he_ had been the one to arrange and orchestrate the entire ordeal to make it up to her for forgetting their anniversary. It would be cowardly and unjust to simply go back on it now.

Towards the middle of the second half of the song, he could not help but smirk at the enthusiasm the silly dance the couple on screen was displaying. They appeared to be having fun, their motions fluid and in perfect sync with one another. He knew that he and Pepper had it in them to do things in tandem, when they set their minds to it. However, some of those activities they could do as mirror images of each other tended to take place while wearing their armored suits, or while wearing practically nothing, alone in the dark.

This was completely different. This was them, working together, not to publicly defeat an enemy or to privately enjoy the toe-curling sensations brought on by their teenage hormones. This was a show – a _talent_ show, for all practical purposes. A work of moving art. And the eyes of millions of people would be on their every step. It would only take a second to crush Pepper's dreams; humiliate her with a delayed reaction or a forgetful act on his part. It would only take the blink of an eye to turn a wonderful, magical experience into a viral-video worthy mess up.

The brief song came to its end, not even two minutes existed of it, and the dance partners sat back on the couch of the staged living room from which their routine had originated.

He rubbed his chin with his right hand, feeling the barely-there stubble of the goatee he was trying to grow despite Pepper's protests, and then hummed loudly before hearing his girlfriend practically squeak her question.

"Soooo?"

"Yeah?"

"Wadja think?!"

Before he got an opportunity to gather his thoughts, the ginger jumped up from the chair she had been attentively watching the inventor analyze the dance video and then plopped next to him on the couch, her eyes wide, hopeful, and sparkly. Tony bit the inside of his mouth, his own gaze trailing down from her hazel orbs to her mouth, pulling away from her rapturous regard to sheepishly shrug and scratch at his left knee.

"It's a short song."

"Yup," Pepper nodded fervently. "Gives us less of a chance to mess up."

"Right," he stole a glance towards her.

"And I think the dress you already got me goes with the theme."

"Of course," he nodded along even though he had no idea if it did or not.

"And it's easier to pay an homage to a well-known dance people already like than coming up with our own original routine."

"True."

"Plus, with how strong you already are, you won't have an issue flipping me around in the air like that. If anything, I'll be the one needing to work on my stamina to last those 120 seconds."

He opened his mouth to say that he knew that there was nothing wrong with her stamina, proven countless times by certain situations when she had had no issue keeping up with his pace and endurance, but he shut his mouth almost as quickly as the thought had come to him. This was neither the place nor the time to bring up such situations – no matter how enjoyable they were. This was about his acceptance of the song she had chosen for him to fulfill his promise to her.

When nearly a minute of silence passed between them, it was her long-winded sigh that made him turn to face her. Nothing remained of the overly confident posture she had portrayed, just seconds ago. Her shoulders were now slumped. Her head hung. Her entire form was crestfallen, very likely taking his quietness and clipped responses as a preamble to rejection.

"Or not," her voice barely a whisper. "Or… I guess not…"

"Pepper, I–"

"It's OK, Tony," she looked away from him and hugged herself. "You hate it. I get it."

"I don't hate it, Pep…"

"Sure you don't," her voice was dipped in sarcasm.

"I don't!"

She held his gaze this time, her eyes narrowed and intense, not so much because he had raised his voice at her, but because she was convinced that he was lying to her.

"Then what? Are you wanting to call the whole thing off?"

"No. It's not that either."

"OK, then I don't know what the heck you're trying to say. Or not say. Or want. Or trying to say you don't want."

She stood up from the couch and shook her head from side to side before pointing her right index finger at the screen, memories of how long it had taken her to find what she believed to be the perfect song for them to dance together rushing to her mind. Did he not see how easy she had made it for them? The steps were already there for them to learn. The song was short enough that they did not have to practice it much. Extremis would do most of the work for him. And she really doubted anyone would judge them as harshly as the other cast members were put under the microscope – they were there to put on a show; not to compete, let alone try to win.

She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, uncharacteristically failing to put her thoughts into words, mostly out of pure frustration with his jumbled signs, so she opted to instead throw her arms in the air and stomped towards where her Rescue armor lay on the floor. They had come to his place straight after a mission that had interrupted their after-school walk and talk home about exactly what was taking place right now: planning their upcoming guest appearance on _Breakdancing with Celebrities_. It had been one of the rare occasions when Rhodey and Samantha had left them alone for the afternoon, each minding a personal matter of their own, but a call for Team Iron Man had halted their otherwise lazy afternoon.

When she angrily shouldered her backpack, and then began walking towards the balcony of his penthouse, Tony knew what her intentions were at the moment. She was trying to haul butt out of his home.

"Just wait a second, Pepper."

"I did," she snapped at him over her shoulder as she pressed the button on the center of her armor backpack, only for it to do absolutely nothing. She knitted her brow for an instant, wondering if she had not placed enough force on the contraption for it to do its darned job. However, as she tried a second time and was as unsuccessful as the first, she raised a single eyebrow and turned in place to face a guilty-looking Tony Stark.

"Stop hacking the suit, Tony."

"No."

"It wasn't a request."

"Not doing it."

She glared at him with all she had, but he did not so as much as flinch under her scrutinizing look.

Or at least _physically_ , he did not.

"Whatever," she took off the backpack and threw it on the couch on her way to the front door. "I'll take a cab."

"Whoa, Pep!" Tony stood in front of her, arms extended to either side. "Let me get two words in, alright? I don't hate it. I… I don't love it. But I don't hate it."

He felt he had earned a small victory when her shoulders visibly relaxed, even if she was now crossing her arms over her chest and was impatiently tapping her right foot against the floor.

"Go on."

"I just… it's…"

"Oh, Lord," she rolled her eyes at his inability to express himself, even after claiming she was the one not letting him say his piece.

"I don't want to mess it up."

"What?"

"I know this is important to you, and I want to make it up to you as much as I wanted to when I told you about this. But I don't know if I can dance good enough for it to be even remotely close to what you clearly have envisioned in your mind."

Her head recoiled before she lowered her arms to her sides.

"Tony, do you really think I want us… expect us… to dance as perfectly as you saw on the video?"

"No?" he tried, but his shifting eyes told her a different story.

"Ugh, Tony," she rubbed her face with her hands. "Don't be ridiculous, OK? We're not professional dancers. I just want to have fun and do a good enough job so that you can raise a good amount of funds for your cause. I figured… I figured this was the easiest thing we could do in the short amount of time we have to prepare for it. I… the other dances are crazy hard. This one… it-it…"

She finished her deflated response with a sigh.

 _This was the easiest?_ Tony's inner monologue would have twitched if it had a body. _THIS_ _was the easiest dance?!_

What in the hell did the other routines entail? Excelling at mixed martial arts moves while performing underwater ballet dancing?

They remained silent for another half a minute or so, each lost in their thoughts until Tony spoke up once more.

"Wait? Did you say you want to make sure our performance raises enough money for the donation I want to make?"

"Well, yeah," she nervously shuffled her feet. "You… you find it important, right? So, I wanna help. You got us a spot there to make it up to me for our anniversary. And I wanna help you raise money for your charity mini-event. I… clearly, I can't donate whatever amount you intend to match, but I can… try, at least, to make it entertaining enough for people to want to donate in the first place."

"Well, baby, if you wanted to ensure people donated with minimal effort on our part, or, at least that guys did, you should've just offered to parade yourself in a bikini."

"TONY!"

"Oh, crud! Wait… that's… ugh," he shook his head, immediately realizing how his statement had probably sounded to her. "I didn't mean it in a sexist way, Pep. I just…" he rubbed his temples. "Look. Let's be honest here. I want to make sure you enjoy the time at the show and that you're not embarrassed by me. And you want to help me raise funds for the charity. Clearly, this is making us overthink this. And it's making us nervous. Because I don't want to disappoint you. And you don't want to disappoint me. And you'd look great in a bikini, by the way. Although, I shouldn't be thinking about that right now."

He did not miss the way her cheeks flushed at his compliment, but she did miss the quick rush of blood to his face, thinking about his girlfriend in swimwear.

"Anyway," he shook his head again. "Let's start over, OK?"

"OK," she said while she slowly approached him and circled his waist with her hands. "What do you really think about the choreography?"

"I think is hard as heck, Pep."

"Oh."

"But I think we can do it."

"Really?"

"Yes. Really. I… I'm not much of a dancer–"

"But what about that time me and Rhodey caught you d–"

"In public!" he snapped, his anger quickly fading when she giggled. "But we made a promise to each other, and to the SCB foundation. Let's just… enjoy the practice. Have fun at the show. And let everything else just fall into place. It will. Even if we suck. I'm Iron Man and you're Rescue. We could dance _the robot_ in our dang suits and still nail the performance."

The half-snort, half-laugh that followed his statement made him laugh as well, his smile turning serious only when his redhead asked a question of her own; a constant inquiry of hers that he would continue to reply to with less than utmost honesty for her sake. At least until she was comfortable enough sharing the personal experience with him.

"OK. I get it. We'll just try our best and let it go if we stink at it. But seriously, Tony, you still haven't told me why, from all the charities you could've chosen to support, did you pick the SCA?"

When Tony had told her, just the day before, that he wanted to add a donation campaign to their fifteen minutes of fame at _Breakdancing with Celebrities_ , she had been excited by the idea of helping him with something she knew he loved to do: helping make the world a better place. She had been on board immediately after he had explained to her that he planned to raise funds, live during their section in the show, and then to match the total amount of donated funds, times _ten_. What had taken her aback, however, was that he had not handpicked a foundation that supported science, research, feeding the poor, or of a medical-related cause. The cause he had his eyes on was not a typical one – and certainly not one she knew he had thrown money at before.

He began his response with a shrug. "I guess I'm expanding my field of vision? Thinking long-term? I mean, a lot of what people do when they're adults come from their experiences as kids, right? Adults… they make their own decisions and, for the most part, look for ways to help themselves. But kids… they… they sometimes don't have anybody that cares about them."

Pepper's eyes lowered and focused on staring at his chest as an attempt to keep her blatant look of guilt from being seen by him.

"And you think that donating to the Stop Child Abuse foundation will do that? Keep adults from becoming bad people if they have a better childhood?"

"I think it won't hurt," he replied, his voice as soft and low as hers appeared to be. "Do you disagree?"

"No. I-I… I don't disagree. At all. But, you know, not _all_ kids who are abused turn out to be bad. That's all I'm saying."

"I know."

The edge in his voice made her look up at him, wondering if there was more to his choice of charity than he was letting on.

"Do you?"

"Yeah," he pressed her closer to him and locked eyes with her. "Some abused kids turn out to be beautiful, wonderful, loving, kindhearted people _, in spite_ of the bad. Or maybe… _because_ of it. They become people without a mean bone in their bodies… even if their own bones were broken a few times."

Pepper could feel her throat start to close, her heart clench, and her mind fog up with memories she wanted to recall never again. Tony was not far off from the truth – bones did tend to break a lot when one was abused as a child. Hopefully, Tony's donation would do for other children what no one had ever done for her for a long time.

"Pep, are you OK?"

"Yeah," she quickly replied, plastering a smile on her face that he knew was nothing but fake. "I'm fine."


End file.
